


Chaos in His Heart

by inkspottedandbrokenhearted



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff, Found Family, Future, Garrison days, M/M, Rewrite, Season 8 Rewrite, bonding moment, giving them what they deserve, klance, quantum abyss, redo, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-18 14:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 45,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16997154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkspottedandbrokenhearted/pseuds/inkspottedandbrokenhearted
Summary: THIS IS A REWRITE OF SEASON 8With the final battle looming just ahead, the Paladins of Voltron face their biggest fight yet. Will they be able to rise to the challenge of Honerva or will they fall pray to her traps and unforeseen plans? It's the fight of their lives and they're racing against the clock to save the entire universe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I don't think I'm alone in the fact that I hated season 8. I thought it did dirty to ALL of the characters and I'm not about to stand for that. So I'm rewriting it. I'm going to do a chapter an episode (plus one more for good measure) to write it how I think it should have gone down. It will follow the same structure but we're getting different ships, different outcomes and LOTS of added scenes. I plan on touching on all the things *I* think were left out/unresolved so that I can feel like we got the closure we all deserve. I hope you'll come along with me on this ride!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so thrilled you guys are choosing to go on this journey with me! I hope I do it justice!
> 
> Please come visit me on [tumblr](https://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com/) and tell me what you think! I have a running list on there of all the loose ends I intend to address but if you can think of any other big plot holes that need closure, please let me know so I can fit it in!!! Otherwise please tell me what you think! The pressure is on to do a good job and to deliver what we deserved so feedback will help me a lot!
> 
> Also you can find my writing Instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/klance_writing/) which gives you snippets of things I'm working on and also tells you whenever I've updated. :)

The medical bay was a cold room, the appearance matching the temperature. Allura stood on the other side of the glass window pane, watching as the garrison doctors busied themselves with the Altean who was still lying unconscious on the table. They moved around her methodically, tapping away on keyboards and scanning through data. Allura’s hands found her hips in an act of nervousness and she fought off the urge to pace.

    She had lost track of just how many times she had found herself here, standing and staring for hours, just waiting desperately for something to happen. She had lost track of how much guilt overwhelmed her when she looked at the Altean, lost track of how many questions she had. It seemed impossible to see another Altean out in the world like this, but every time she thought something was impossible, the universe stepped in to prove her wrong. In her dreams at night, she still saw the moment the robeast opened and revealed the Altean inside. She felt the weight of the shock settle into the depths of her bones, making her feel heavy and weary— leaving her with a sort of tiredness she could never shake.

But then again, it wasn’t just the Altean that made her feel that way, it was the war in general. It was the sleepless nights, the screams of her comrades as they fell prey in the midst of battle. These things made her feel like she actually was ten thousand years old; they made her joints ache when she walked and her heart beat slowly in her chest. It didn’t matter how much sleep she got, she’d come to realize, she would always feel a sort of dense tiredness in the back of her mind, dragging her down. She wondered if she’d ever feel free again.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the set of footsteps that came up behind her. It wasn’t until Romelle appeared at her side with a soft exhale that she snapped her thoughts back to the present, never tearing her gaze away from the other Altean.

“You know,” Romelle said with no preamble, her own gaze fixated on the red-headed girl before them, “Luca and I didn’t exactly get along back at the colonies, but I always respected her. She had an inner strength that many don’t. She had the desire to be a part of something greater than herself.”

Allura took in a breath, feeling the way it settled into the bottom of her lungs like a weight. “If she was so desperate for something to believe in, she may have been susceptible to being manipulated.”

She tried to ignore the way the words felt raw as she said them, to ignore the way it felt like salt in an open wound. She tried not to let Lotor’s face flash before her, but she couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t stop the pit of despair that opened up inside of her because she _knew_ how Luca felt, she understood. She had once been so desperate for something to believe in, so desperate just to feel like she _belonged_ somewhere that she had been manipulated. She had opened herself up only to have her heart taken advantage of and tricked— she opened herself up only to be made a fool of and it stung, still cutting as deep as it had the first day. She hated him for it.

More than that, she hated him because she could see his touch in the tragedy that was before her. She could feel his lust for power in the way Luca had come after them without holding back, she could see his obsession in the way she had given her everything, risking her life in the process. Allura could only imagine what Lotor had said to corrupt her, to make her susceptible to the idea that fighting Voltron was the right answer. It wasn’t hard for her to imagine Luca’s hair as white, her skin darker… it wasn’t hard for her to replace Luca with Lotor on that table. The thought haunted her.

He still came to her in her dreams, whispering in her ear the way he had in life. She woke up in a cold sweat most nights, trembling and terrified. The guilt that came with loving him and leaving him was perhaps the heaviest of the guilt she beared. It was perhaps the one that weighed her down the most, the one that she hid at the very depths of her heart. She didn’t like to admit that she had fallen for him and certainly didn’t like to admit that she missed him. That she still longed for him on occasion.

Romelle didn’t say anything in response to her words and she wondered if it was because she, too, understood. She had been a part of the new Altea, she had followed Lotor. The thought made Allura sick and she turned away from the glass, needing a break.

 

* * *

 

Lance was sitting at the table, drink in front of him, stirring idly. Hunk was just inside the door of the room, standing opposite his parents and chatting animatedly with them. Lance had met his parents plenty of times and they were equally as kind as Hunk. He had never once gone to their house for a meal and not left with enough food to feed his own large family. They were warm and welcoming and the kind of family that would welcome Lance for dinner, even if Hunk wasn’t there.

He was only half listening as they chatted, talking about how proud they were of Hunk. Lance was proud of Hunk too— more than he could ever put into words. He’d watched Hunk grow into the defender of the universe that cared for every individual life with the same fervor. He watched Hunk grow into a greater version of himself and it made him feel warm inside.

There were not words to describe how happy Lance was that Hunk had been able to be reunited with his family. He, out of all of them, really deserved it. Lance could feel the slight smile on his lips as he watched Hunk hug his parents and bid them farewell. There was no saying when they’d be back on Earth again, so Lance was happy that Hunk got all the time he wanted with his parents. Once they were gone out of the room, Hunk set down the boxes they had bestowed upon him— no doubt full of ingredients for Hunk to cook with in space— and crossed the room to sit across from Lance at the table.

“Launching tomorrow,” He said, his tone purposefully upbeat. “The big day. Man it feels like forever ago that we piloted the blue lion and were blasted off into space! We had no idea what we were getting into!”

Lance would be lying to say there were no nerves accompanied with the upcoming launch. He had finally been reunited with his family and it was hard for him to willingly let go of them again. Especially since there was no guarantee that he’d ever make it back to Earth— no guarantee that he’d even make it out of the final battle at all. Still, the universe needed him— needed all of them— and he knew it was the greater good that he needed to consider. His family would move on if they had to, as long as he could keep them alive. More than anything else in the universe, Lance wanted to protect those closest to him.

“Yeah,” Lance replied, still stirring his drink. There’d been something weighing on his mind for a long time, and he knew Hunk could sense it.

Still, Hunk tried to distract him. “But everything will be different this time! We’re rugged veterans now! Heading off into our final battle!”

Lance paused his stirring then, glancing up at Hunk. It was strange to think where they had started— just boys at the garrison who had been thrown together by chance. It was weird to think that he, Hunk and Pidge had been thrown together on that first day, having no idea what they were going to go through, that Keith had always been right there, just a step ahead of Lance. Fate had a strange way of working, Lance concluded, as he picked his spoon back up and resumed stirring. He’d spent years by the sides of the people he would defend the universe with and had no idea the entire time that they would ever be so important to him.

“I think that makes us heroes or something, right? The kind of heroes that they make TV shows after! Did you watch it last night, Lance?” Hunk’s smile was huge then and Lance could feel it tugging on his heart strings. “They got you pretty accurate. But they made Coran really serious. And Keith is friendly!” Hunk burst out in laughter then, practically doubling over the table. Lance could feel a smile settling onto his own lips at the thought.

It wasn’t that Keith was unfriendly— not to those around him, at least— it was mostly that he was very quiet and very serious. Still, over the years Lance had watched Keith go from one step ahead of him, to directly next to him. He’d let Keith move from rival to friend to… leader? Lance swallowed.

“They do seem to be hinting at a romance between Keith and Allura though,” Hunk continued once he was finally composed enough to speak again.

“What?!” Lance jolted upright, slamming his hands on the table. “Keith and Allura? It should be Lance and—” He bit off the end of his response, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down.

There was a knowing twinkle in Hunk’s eye as he looked up at Lance and Lance turned his head to the side to try and avoid acknowledging it. Hunk had been his best friend for years and he could read Lance like a book. And while Lance wasn’t entirely sure how he was about to finish that sentence, the look Hunk was giving him implied that _he_ knew exactly how it was supposed to end. Lance wasn’t sure which option unsettled him more.

“Ooh, a love triangle, I like it.” Hunk’s tone was teasing but it still sent a _zing_ down Lance’s spine.

“That’s not— It’s not about that,” He spluttered, sitting back down again.

“Oh,” Hunk’s expression settled into a soft one, his eyes landing gently on Lance who felt like he’d crumble, even under the tiniest pressure. “You said you were going to talk to Allura but you haven’t yet, have you?”

“I just haven’t found the time,” Lance defended, dropping his head pitifully into his hands.”Plus she’s been spending all of her time in the med bay. This just isn’t the right time for this. Maybe after—”  

“Lance, it’s our last day on Earth and you have no idea what the future is going to bring. You need to talk to her. You won’t feel better until you do. After tomorrow we’re back out in space fighting the Galra. There is no other time. Literally. ” It sounded great when it came from Hunk like that, but Lance still wasn’t prepared to do it.

It had been chaos in his heart for months— ever since he’d seen Allura with Lotor. Ever since Keith had left for the Blades of Marmora. The two things had combined, chipping away slowly at the defenses Lance kept up around his heart until it was fully exposed and then— well, then they’d broken it. Collectively. In one fell swoop. And Lance hadn’t felt quite right since then. He knew Hunk was right and that he needed to talk to Allura but he hadn’t quite figured out what it was he wanted to say yet. He'd procrastinated it as long as he could, however, and now the deadline was looming over him, making him feel sick.

“You’re talking to her _today_. And that’s final, young man.” Hunk settled a heavy expression on Lance and he knew that there was absolutely no way Hunk would let him out of it. With a sigh, Lance finally lifted his cup to his lips.

 

* * *

 

The room was filled to the brim with people in their garrison uniforms. The paladins of Voltron stood out amongst the crowd as the only ones with uniquely colored uniforms. They each wore the colors of their paladin armor, defining them as the leaders that they were. They were all seated in a row along one side of the table with the exception of Shiro who stood at the front of the room, addressing the group as a whole. His black uniform and stature commanded the attention of the room and he didn’t shrink away from it. Instead he rose into it, stiffening his spine and looking like he deserved every bit of the respect that he had gained from each person in the room.

“Welcome to our final briefing here on Earth,” He began, his voice booming around the room and causing an immediate hush to fall. “It’s been months since we began to rebuild and tomorrow we take off to continue our liberation efforts to free those who still exist under Galra rule. Commander Holt, give us an update, please.”

All eyes shifted to Sam Holt who was sitting across the table from Lance, looking equally as poised as Shiro. He didn’t seem uncomfortable at all when put on the spot and immediately launched into an answer. “We continue to detect no Galra activity within several galaxies of the milky way. It appears that Earth was Sendak’s only target.”

A chill seemed to spread through the room at those words. Lance would never forget what it had been like when the Galra were on Earth. He’d never be able to wipe away the images of the devastation. No matter how long he lived, the fear that coursed through him when he thought he had lost his sister would haunt him, dragging him down into the depths of those memories mercilessly.

He had seen a lot of planets under Galra rule and a lot of desolation and nothing had ever hurt the way seeing it on Earth had hurt. Up until that point he’d been able to keep at least a little distance, to stop it from following him into his dreams and making his sleep as much of a nightmare as his everyday life could be. But seeing it on Earth changed everything because his family was directly in danger. Hunk’s family was in danger. Everyone he’d gone to school with, his neighbors and lifelong friends… they were all standing in line, trying to avoid the seemingly inevitable. That was the moment the reality of the situation had hit Lance like a robeast, smashing him to the ground and making it impossible for him to get back up.

Shiro held firm, appearing unbothered by the information. Instead, he turned his attention to Keith who was sitting at the very edge of the table, looking sharp in his red uniform. “How are we with Earth’s defenses?”

Keith responded immediately, “I’ve finished my check ins with all the garrison units around the globe and everything appears to be up and running. Earth has everything in place to keep itself safe.”

At those words, the room seemed to let out a collective breath.

“Great,” Next, Shiro directed his attention to Veronica who was standing at his side in front of the crowd. “And Atlas preparations?”

“Repairs to the IGF Atlas were finished early last week and it has since passed every test we have put it through,” Veronica had the signature cocky McClain smile on her lips as she answered, sparing a moment to glance at her brother.

Lance loved seeing his sister take charge like this. He loved seeing her use her brains and her confidence and making a difference in the world. He had been so proud to come home and see the way she had stepped up to the plate in his absence, doing everything she could to protect their family. It still warmed his heart to think about seeing her in her armor, to think about the way she had fought alongside him.

“Good,” Shiro nodded briefly. “Any updates on the Altean pilot?”

Allura jumped in immediately and it only made sense— she was the one who had spent all of her time in there watching over the girl. “Still unresponsive. But she could wake any day now. Perhaps if we had more time, we could find out who sent her—”

“There’s no way to know when or even _if_ she’ll regain consciousness.” Keith’s words were quick but not unkind. Lance was reminded again of what Hunk had told him earlier in the day and he felt woozy in his chair. Taking a deep breath, he leant his head into his hand on the table, trying to just focus on the conversation at hand and ignore the images that were beginning to swirl around in his mind. To ignore the way it made his stomach churn. “We can’t wait any longer. We need to get back out there and end this war before the Galra can reorganize.”

“Keith’s right,” Allura’s frown deepened at Shiro’s words but she didn’t protest. As much as she had a personal interest in the Altean, Lance knew that she was a leader first and foremost and she understood the importance of being out on the battlefield and attacking while their opponent was weak. “Plus, we’ll be in constant communication with Earth. When the Altean wakes up, we’ll know.” He paused then, waiting to see if anyone had any objections. When the room remained silent, he pressed on. “I have one more item to discuss. It’s our last night on Earth and we may not be back for years. So, I’m ordering you… to take some time for yourselves. Be with the ones you love. You’ve earned it.”

There was an undertone of sadness in Shiro’s voice that caused Lance to pick his head up. The rest of the room began to move, emptying out into the hallway but Shiro didn’t move. Lance could feel his heart sink as he watched the people bustle around Shiro, realizing for the first time that Shiro didn’t have anyone to spend the evening with. Once they had returned to Earth after defeating Sendak, Shiro had opened up about his fiance Adam and the fact that he had been a casualty in the war. The way he had spoken was so open and raw that it tore at Lance’s heart, making him ache right alongside Shiro.

It wasn’t hard to believe that Shiro had found love because he was such a great guy, but Lance had never really thought about it. And then, the first time he heard of it, it was a tale of tragic loss and heartbreak. He wasn’t sure he’d ever forget the way the tears filled Shiro’s eyes as he talked about Adam and how kind and understanding he was. He elaborated on how Adam pushed him to be a better person but didn’t put up with any of his troublemaking. It had simultaneously warmed and broken Lance’s heart as he listened to Shrio weave tales of their life together. It was so clear that they had been so in love, that they had the brightest future together and then it had just been ripped away from them. Lance couldn’t possibly imagine what that felt like.

Shiro caught his eye and offered him a weak smile to indicate he was okay. Lance let out a long sigh, feeling like his heart was sinking all the way to his feet. Slowly he stood, nodding briefly at Shiro and heading into the hallway with the others, each step feeling like it took every last drop of Lance’s energy. He could feel the weight of his unspoken words on his shoulders as he finally made it into the hallway, only a few steps behind Allura and Romelle who were already immersed in a conversation about the other Altean.

Hunk popped out behind him a moment later, giving Lance a nudge in the shoulder that was accompanied by a pointed look towards Allura. Lance sucked in a deep breath, “Hey, Allura?”

“What is it, Lance?” She turned to look at him then, her arms tucked behind her. She looked every bit the princess she actually was.

“I, uh, was just checking in. Wanted to see how things were.” He replied lamely.

With a tilt of the head, Allura gently brushed him off. “I’m sorry Lance, I don’t have time for this. I need to be getting back to the med bay.”

Lance didn’t say anything as Allura and Romelle turned together to leave. He watched them take a few steps before turning away, dejected, only to come face-to-face with Hunk who was staring down at him with his arms crossed. Before Lance had a chance to defend himself, Hunk grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, shoving his roughly until he stumbled past Allura and Romelle, pinwheeling his arms to maintain his balance.

Once stabilized, Lance swallowed and turned to face them, only to find that they were already staring at him with their eyebrows raised in confusion. “I was just thinking, it might be nice if you came by later and had dinner with me and my family for our last night on Earth. Plus there’s— uh, there’s something I want to talk to you about later.”

Allura glanced to her right and shared a long look with Romelle, “Is everything alright, Lance?”

“Yes!” He replied hastily, “Yes, it’s absolutely fine, If you can’t come, it’s no problem. I understand if you’re busy! I just thought it would be a good way to spend out last night on Earth. I was even going to invite Coran!”

Lance started to turn away, preparing to leave again, but paused when he heard Allura’s response. “Sure, Lance. I’d love to come, that’d be wonderful.”

“Really?”

She was smiling back at him but it looked worried. He wondered if she could sense what he wanted to talk to her about. “Really, thank you for the invite. I’ll absolutely be there.”

“Great,” He smiled at her and it came easier to him than he expected. “I’ll see you later tonight, then.”

With a nod, she and Romelle headed off again, immediately dropping back into their conversation.

“Well,” Hunk said, clapping Lance on the shoulder. “That’s one of the two down. Now you just have to talk to the other one.”

 

* * *

 

Pidge liked the greenhouse. Not as much as her mom did, of course, but she still found a sort of comfort there. Maybe it was because the scent reminded her of home, or because she had grown up around one with her mom, she wasn’t sure. But either way, as she went around, scanning each plant, she found herself comfortably at ease. Her mom was working a few rows behind her, checking the soil and inspecting the leaves as she went from pot to pot.

“Pidge? Do you have a moment?”

Pidge glanced up from the screen in her hand to find Romelle and Allura peeking around the corner from the hallway into the greenhouse. Surprised, Pidge pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and lowered the small device in her hand. “Of course, what’s up?”

“Well, you see, I…” Allura stepped into the room first, fidgeting with her hands in front of her. It was strange for Pidge to see Allura be anything other than completely composed and confident. “I, uh…”

“She has a date!” Romelle chimed in, leaning forward to wrap an arm around Allura’s shoulders.

“It’s not a date!” Allura replied quickly, steadying herself against Romelle’s weight. “It’s definitely not a date. But I am having dinner with Lance and his family and I would like to dress in appropriate Earth attire.”

“That sure sounds like a date,” Pidge replied, waggling her eyebrows.

Instead of the expected response, Allura frowned. “No, he seemed hesitant. He said he needed to talk to me about something after. It’s not a date, but it still seemed important.” she paused for a moment before adding “Plus, he said he's inviting Coran. So that's _definitely_ not a date.”

“Well,” Pidge glanced back at her mom who was working diligently but still clearly listening to the conversation they were having. “I’d love to go to the mall with you, but I’m grounded.”

“Grounded?” Romelle repeated, leaning forward to look closer at Pidge’s feet. “I didn’t know humans could float!”

That startled a laugh out of Pidge who shook her head, “No, not literally. It means I can’t leave my mom’s supervision.”

“Yes,” Colleen piped up from her corner of the room, still not raising her eyes from the plant in front of her. “She’s in trouble because apparently she thinks it’s okay to just _flee the galaxy_ and go off exploring the universe without telling me!”

“I was helping save the entire universe, you know!” Pidge retorted with a dramatic eye roll.

Allura looked between Pidge and Colleen for a moment before finally choosing to address Colleen. “May I please borrow your daughter just for a few hours so that we can go to the mall? I promise to bring her right back.”

With a moment of consideration, Colleen sighed. “Only this once. And she can only be gone for _two_ hours. Got it?”

Pidge was already halfway out the door, dragging Allura and Romelle behind her.

 

* * *

 

Before he had the chance to lose his nerve, Lance knocked on the door to Coran’s room. The door opened automatically under his fingers, revealing Coran on the inside folding some clothes.

“Oh, Lance! To what do I owe this visit?” Coran didn’t halt from what he was doing as Lance stepped into the room.

Emotions were swirling around in Lance’s stomach, giving him that uneasy feeling again. He hated it. “Hey, Coran. I just wanted to stop by really quick and invite you to dinner with my family tonight. I’ve already invited Allura and she’s agreed. I just thought, you know, it might be a nice way to spend our last night on Earth.”

Coran was looking at Lance in a way that made him feel incredibly unnerved. It was like Coran wasn’t _seeing_ him as much as he was _seeing through_ him. It almost felt like Coran was assessing the very depths of his heart, reading the words he had hidden there, tucked away in the shadows. A long moment passed where Coran said nothing and Lance spent the entire time feeling as if he were being laid bare, every secret being drawn from him and put on display for Coran to do with as he pleased.

“You said you’re having Allura over for dinner?” Coran cried suddenly, stepping forward to grip Lance by the shoulders.

“Well, yeah.” Lance, a little taken aback, tried to step slightly further form Coran but the man’s grip was too tight to let him go anywhere. “And I thought you might—”

“Give you my blessing? Not yet, I won’t! I need _at least_ three references to your character before I’ll even _consider_ giving it to you. Plus, I’ll need—”

Lance cut him off suddenly, “Blessing? For what? Coran, we’re just having dinner and you’re invited. It’s not anything serious.”

“It’s not?” A dumbfounded look settled on Coran’s features then. “It sounds like a date.”

“Woah, woah, woah, there.” Lance held up his hands in between them hastily. “It is definitely _not_ a date. It’s just dinner on our last night on Earth. You can come if you want to or stay here, I just want to know.”

There was a suspicious look in Coran’s eye suddenly as his hands tightened around Lance’s shoulders, dragging him further into the room.

 

* * *

 

The mall was packed with people which wasn’t surprising seeing as it had just reopened. The stores weren’t all set up properly yet and a lot of merchants instead had their prizes out on blankets on the floor. Pidge glanced from side to side as she walked, scanning over the wares that were for sale as they passed. There was an assortment of things— from homegoods to handmade trinkets— but nothing matching what they needed. Finally they came across a clothing store and Pidge led the way inside.

Veronica and Leifsdotter had joined as soon as they had heard that the mall was their destination. At first Allura had been a little unsure but Veronica would be there for dinner tonight so she would be able to help Allura pick an outfit that her family found most appropriate, which was comforting. Once inside the store, the five of them split up and began to scan the racks of clothes on their own, each picking out individual outfits for Allura to try on.

Once they were each satisfied with an outfit, they passed them over to Allura who took each into a nearby dressing room and began to try them on. She came out in between each outfit to show the group but nobody approved of any of the outfits. Feeling nearly defeated, Allura stepped back in the dressing room to try on the final outfit. It was the simplest of all of them, a beautifully simple white dress with a gold belt and some gold sandals to match. As soon as she put it on, she felt beautiful.

“Oh, Allura,” Pidge said as she exited the dressing room one last time. “It’s perfect.”

Veronica was nodding her approval, “It looks great on you. The whole family is going to love it!”

“Are you sure?” Allura spun to look at herself in the nearby mirror, twisting from side to side in an attempt to see all angles.

Veronica stepped up next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I’m positive.”

 

* * *

 

Shiro, Sam and Coran stood in a line, staring through the glass window and into the med bay. On the mat, Luca was sitting up, her eyes downcast and body wrapped into a tight ball.

“She’s medically stable,” Sam was saying, “But she refuses to talk to any of the doctors. I was hoping a friendly face might help. Maybe Romelle?”

Coran didn’t tear his eyes away from the scene before him as he answered with a simple, “I’ll see if I can find her,”

There was an unnerving air of uncertainty hanging between all of them as they watched Luca sit there, eyes fixated on nothing.

 

* * *

 

The Black lion always looked grandeur, towering magnificently above the rest of the world, and this was no exception. He was seated out in the open, the facing the setting sun. As Lance approached, he couldn’t help but have his breath stolen by the sheer beauty of the entire thing— Black poised beautifully in front of the fading yellows and oranges of the last sunset he’d see on earth for awhile. He tried not to let his heart ache too much as he scaled Black to reach the top where Keith sat.

He knew Keith would be able to hear him a mile away with all the clattering and clanging he was doing as he climbed but he didn’t care. It had taken him longer than he would have liked to locate Keith but he knew that’s exactly how Keith wanted it to be. Even after all of this time, if Keith wanted his space, he was going to take it.

Lance finally climbed over the top ledge and steadied himself, finding Keith and Kosmo sitting and staring peacefully towards the sunset. “You know, you can be a hard man to find if you want to be.”

“Hey, Lance.” Keith glanced at him and then did a double take, “Woah! What are you wearing?”

With a sigh, Lance pulled the metal bucket off of his head and let it drop onto Black with a clunk. “Coran never listens,” he offered in lieu of an explanation. When Keith continued to stare wide-eyed at him, he gave in and gave a better answer. “I invited Allura to dinner with my family tonight and I went to invite Coran, too, but he mistook it as a date and insisted that I have something resembling proper Altean armor to wear.”

There was a smile immediately curling at the edge of Keith’s lips as he watched Lance sit down in the ridiculous outfit Coran had fashioned for him. It didn’t even look like clothes, it looked like a bunch of random items Coran had thrown together— which, essentially, it was. “You have to wear a pail on your head to go on a date with Allura?”

“Apparently,” Lance replied wearily. “But it’s not a date. And I kept saying that but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Dinner with your family _sounds_ like a date,” Keith replied.

Lance shook his head, “It’s just dinner. Really.”

Keith, seeming unconvinced, turned back towards the sunset. There was still a small smile on his face as he teased Lance. “I guess that does make sense. To go out with you, she’d need to like you. The annoying, stupid, Earth version of you.”

“Very funny,” Lance sneered, just as playfully, settling back onto his hands. They sat in silence for a few moments, each just looking out at the sunset.

It wasn’t long before Lance’s attention drifted and, instead of looking at the sunset, he watched Keith watch the sunset. The soft colors of the fading light made Keith’s edges hazy, as if he were blurring into the sky itself. Somehow that seemed fitting to Lance, because Keith had always belonged to something bigger and better— he had always belonged to the universe itself. The uneasiness swirled around in Lance’s stomach again but he tried to ignore it. It was normal, he reasoned, given that they were heading out to start on their final quest in the morning. It was reasonable to feel this way. But still…

“Hey, so, I came up here for a reason.” Lance finally broke the silence, glancing past Keith to Kosmo who was staring intently back at Lance.

“Yeah,” Keith looked so at ease, as if the fading light of twilight was his element. He seemed to shine just as bright during all hours of the day but Lance could still appreciate the moment. “I figured as much.”

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” The nerves were a jittery feeling under Lance’s skin, making him anxious. He knew he’d feel this exact way later with Allura and just hoped that, in both cases, it would be worth it.

Keith glanced away from the sunset briefly to meet Lance’s gaze, “So talk.”

“Well, we leave Earth tomorrow and then, from there, everything is uncertain. So, before we go, I just wanted to take the chance to make something clear.” Lance cleared his throat and looked down. He stared intently at Keith’s feet as he spoke, willing himself to just get the words out. “I meant every word I said on that stupid game show, about you being the future. I really think you are. And no matter what happens, I’m going to be there with you, okay? You’re my leader and I’m not going to leave you.”

Without looking up, Lance could picture the expression on Keith’s face. It wasn't hard to imagine Keith's eyebrows up in surprise, his mouth parted as he stared at Lance.He could practically _feel_ the weight of his gaze burning into the side of his head, but still, he stared at Keith’s shoes. He only looked up out of surprise when Keith spoke and his voice was almost raw with emotion.

“I’m sorry for what I said then,” Keith’s gaze was on Lance, pinning him down. Their eyes locked as Keith talked and Lance knew that he couldn’t break away no matter how hard he tried. But he didn’t try at all because he didn’t want to be anywhere else. “I meant what I said, but I didn't mean how it sounded. Does that make sense?” Lance stared back, wide-eyed, and that seemed to be enough for Keith to press on. “I meant it when I said I didn't want to be stuck there with you forever. Not because I didn't want to be with you but because I didn't want _you_ to be there forever. I wanted you to get home and see your family. I wanted you, our sharpshooter, to carry on the fight. If there was anyone who deserved to get out of that mess, it was you. So I really didn't want to be stuck there with you. I wanted to be stuck there, knowing you were free, thriving and changing the universe in the way that only _you_ can.”

“I—” Lance wasn’t sure what to say. He snapped his mouth shut, staring at Keith and willing himself to just keep composed. “Thanks, man.”

After what felt like eternity, Keith broke their gaze, turning away. Lance wasn’t sure if it was the setting sun, but Keith’s cheeks looked a shade darker as he said, “We’re all a team and we're all working to protect the universe. But you and I? We’ve got each other’s backs no matter what.”

“No matter what,” Lance confirmed, feeling a heat rush to his cheeks too. Before he lost his nerve he added, “I’m glad you’re back from the Blades. I wouldn’t want to do this without you.”

Kosmo nudged his nose against Keith’s knee then and Keith raised a hand to stroke it along his soft head. “I’m sorry for that, too. I’m sorry for a lot of things. I—”

“No apologies,” Lance interrupted. “Not right now, at least. This is our last night on Earth and I want it to be special. So no apologies. Just… don’t leave me again, okay?”

“I won’t,” Keith’s words faded with the light but Lance still heard them and tucked them away in the back corners of his heart. “Never again.”

 

 

Lance let the silence between them resume, feeling a weight lifted off of his chest. He often had nightmares of the game show, of the way he'd practically laid his heart on the line only to have Keith shut it down. Keith's response, tight-lipped and arms crossed, had haunted Lance ever since. He'd considered bringing it up numerous times but never had because he thought he knew the answer. He smiled a little to himself, thinking of how Keith never failed to surprise him.

A few more moments passed and the sun was almost completely below the horizon. Lance needed to get going if he was going to make dinner on time. He stood, scooping his bucket up off of Black. He took a few steps and then paused, glancing back at Keith who still looked stoic and peaceful.

“Hey, Keith?” He pressed on when Keith hummed in acknowledgement. “Since we're doing this whole honesty thing, I have another question.”

“Okay?”

The question sprung to the tip of Lance's tongue but he hesitated. He and Keith had gotten close right before Keith left. Since he'd come back, things were good but not the way they had been before. There was still a sort of hollowness in Lance's chest, stealing away his courage. But he knew this was his chance to ask and he'd never stop wondering.

“Have you ever been in love?”

He expected Keith to flinch, to pull away and deny it, shutting the question down entirely. Instead, Keith smiled slightly, his eyes going soft as he watched the trailing ends of the sunset fade into darkness. “Yeah, once.”

Lance, surprised by this answer, couldn't stop the next question from jumping off his lips. “What happened?”

“Nothing, but it never faded away. ” Keith's reply was soft, drifting away on the breeze that flew by. Lance wanted to ask more, to prod and see who had won Keith's heart. But Keith was staring off at the horizon, eyes foggy and Lance could already tell that he was lost to his memories. So he climbed down Black slowly and vowed to ask some other time.

 

* * *

 

Veronica was opening the door as Lance descended the stairs. He was dressed in nice khakis and a button up on under his sweater with the sleeves rolled up. It’d been a long time since he’d worn anything other than Paladin armor or the garrison uniform and it honestly felt good to be in something normal again. He finished descending the stairs quickly, stopping in front of Allura who had just stepped into the house.

“You look… beautiful,” He said, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in normal Earth clothes and it looked so different and yet very stunning at the same time.

“So do you,” Allura replied kindly, smiling at Lance.

A moment passed before Lance’s manners caught up with him. “Ah, I’m so sorry!” He spun around and began to introduce Allura to each member of his family, pointing them out as he gave their name. He knew he had a large family and in no way expected Allura to remember their names, but she greeted each one individually, repeating their names and smiling at them. It made Lance smile.

Once the introductions were done, they were ushered into the dining room where all the food had already been prepared and was laying out waiting for them. They took their seats around the table, Lance seated between Veronica and Allura. As they ate, his siblings immediately launched into endless embarrassing stories of Lance as a child, doing their best to make it as dramatic as possible. Allura laughed with each tale, glancing at Lance and trying to bite back her grin. He didn’t mind, of course, because that was what siblings did and he was just grateful to be home with his siblings at all.

“Oh, by the way.” Veronica nudged him with her elbow, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Think you could put in a good word for me with your long haired friend?”

“Keith?” Lance cried, incredulous, feeling his heart tumble to his feet. “No, no, no! No way, absolutely not. Plus, he's in love with someone already.” the words slipped off his tongue before he had much of a chance to think about them. Veronica made a surprised face, but it wasn't enough to distract Lance from the gaping hole that was opening up inside his chest.

“I was kidding, but that's good to know.” Veronica replied with a knowing look, turning back to her dinner.

For the rest of the meal, Lance was left to try and quell the strange panicky feeling filling his chest.

 

* * *

 

The doors to the med bay slid open, granting Romelle access. It was almost strange to walk through them since she had spent weeks standing on the outside staring in. Still, she could see Luca sitting up and alert on the table and knew that she had to go in and try.

“It’s good to see you awake, Luca.” Romelle said as soon as she entered through, “We can help, you know. What happened to you? Where’s the colony?”

Luca snapped her head up suddenly, her eyes ferocious. Romelle felt a chill spread across her body, freezing her to her very core at the look. “Why?” Luca all but spat, “So you can betray them again?”

“What?”

“She told us all about you and your great betrayal,” Luca’s eyes were hard with anger, her body rigid. “You sided with the Paladins of Voltron, the ones who killed our great leader.”

“It’s not like that—” Romelle tried, taking another step into the room, but Luca wasn’t done.

“She’s going to reunite us with Lotor! With Altea! There’s nothing you can do! You don’t stand a chance against Honerva—” Luca’s words were cut short. Suddenly she gasped, her eyes going wide. Her entire body seemed to go stiff for a brief moment before falling over, completely limp.

Romelle rushed forward but she could tell, even before reaching Luca, that it was too late.

 

* * *

 

The cool air nipped at Lance’s cheeks and exposed wrists. It felt good as he and Allura walked along the sidewalk, heading towards his favorite tree in what used to be his favorite park. Dinner had gone well, even though he could tell Allura felt out of place. He still didn’t know too much about her life ten-thousand years ago and whether she had grown up around a lot of people or not. He understood that his family could be overwhelming at times and he just hoped they hadn’t scared her off.

“This place used to be so beautiful,” Lance said, tucking his hands deep into his pockets. He wasn’t cold but the action somehow made him feel more secure.

“This is all my fault,” Allura walked past Lance and stopped in front of the large tree that loomed before them, placing her hand gently against the trunk. “The Galra were here because of me.”

“That’s not true,” Lance said, “Plus, meeting you is one of the best things to ever happen to me. I wouldn’t change it, even if I could.”

Instead of answering, Allura closed her eyes and suddenly the tree was glowing blue. Lance had seen her use her powers before, but it never ceased to amaze him. He watched the light spread up the tree and out to the branches, mouth parting in wonder as leaves began to grow, filling out the canopy above. The light pressed on, spreading out past the tree and suddenly flowers were blooming around Lance and the grass was greener. He couldn’t help the smile that came to his face as he watched.

After a moment, Allura opened her eyes and turned to look at Lance. The rest of the night was completely silent and there was no movement save for the two of them.

With a deep breath, Lance met her gaze head on. “Allura, I’ve always admired you. For a long time, I was completely in love with you.”

“Lance—”

“Please,” He interrupted, “Let me finish.” She inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement and he pressed on, “You’re beautiful, but you’re so much more than that. You’re smart, you’re brave, you’re completely independent. You’re an amazing woman, Allura, and there was no way that I could know you and _not_  fall in love with you. But—” he paused and caught her eye again, “But you deserve more than I can give you and I know that. I saw you with Lotor, I saw the way he made you happy, the way he understood and completed sides of you that I can never even relate to. As much as I want to be everything to you, I know I can’t be and I accept that. Because you deserve the best, Allura. You really do.”

He could see the emotion clear on her face as she looked at him across the dusky night. “Lance,” She breathed his name in a way that was so soft, it made Lance feel like he was going to break. He had meant every word— she deserved everything and he knew that he couldn’t give it to her. “You’re such an amazing guy— so caring and selfless. Anyone would be lucky to have your heart. It’s just, I—”

“I know, Allura.” His words were gentle and his smile was weak but genuine. “You don’t need to say it, I understand. I’m not asking for anything from you. I just needed you to know, in case anything goes wrong on this next mission, that I loved you for a long time. “

Tears were pooling in Allura’s eyes and Lance wanted to cross the space between them to wipe them away, but he didn’t. Despite breaking his own heart, he felt a weight being lifted off his chest. He’d been carrying those feelings around, bearing the burden of them alone, for so long. He forgot what it felt like to walk around without that secret bubbling just under the surface, threatening to spill over. Even when he'd started to get over her, started to bury the feelings and moved on, he felt chained. He knew, even if those feelings were slowly beginning to fade, that he would never be free of them until he told her.

Allura rushed to him then, practically knocking him over as she threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. Lance slid his hands around her waist, holding on to her and relishing in the feeling of being close to her. It reminded him of the hug he shared with her after Lotor had just broken her heart. He remembered that hug vividly. Even though he'd been comforting her, that hug had felt like a goodbye. This hug felt like a goodbye too.

“Lance, I want you to know that you’re important to me,” Allura breathed into his shoulder, the words muffled by his sweater. “And to the cause.”

“I know,” Lance’s reply was solemn, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel sad. “Nothing is going to change between us, okay? Everything is going to be the same. I just— I couldn’t risk dying without you knowing.”

A moment passed before Allura pulled away, lifting a hand to brace it gently against his cheek. Lance took a deep breath at the contact. “Are you going to be alright?”

“I am,” Lance said and, even though the words hurt, even though it felt like he was ripping each one out of his very own soul, he meant them. Because no matter what happened, he would pull through. As long as Allura got the kind of love she deserved, he would be happy. Plus, the emptiness in his chest decreased a little each day. Slowly the ache was becoming duller and he knew, eventually, he'd be able to watch Allura and feel only happiness— no bitterness, no loneliness. And someday he'd find someone for himself, too.

 

* * *

 

Allura returned to her room at the garrison that night feeling a strange weight settle in her chest. Before she had much time to think about it, the doors to her room slid open to reveal Coran and Romelle sitting there, waiting for her. She didn’t even have to ask to know what they were about to tell her. Still, she didn’t like hearing it said out loud.

“Luca didn’t make it,” Romelle broke the silence. “I tried to talk to her, she said she was sent by Honerva. Only got a few sentences in before…”

“Before?” Allura prompted when Romelle didn’t continue.

“Princess,” Coran stepped forward, “It looks as if her brain was fried.”

“By Honerva?”

“We don’t know,” Romelle admitted, “But we think so.”

Allura crossed all the way into her room and took a seat on the bed, trying to let this new information sink into her head. Suddenly everything else she’d been worried about was gone and all she could think about was this. _Honerva_ had sent Luca? While it was true that Lotor was gone, trapped in the quintessence field for eternity, Allura had always assumed this was something he had set into motion before that. Lotor was certainly clever and cunning enough to plan this far ahead.

“Also, you should know,” Romelle looked as if she didn't want to finish her sentence. But she did anyways. “She said Honerva was going to reunite them with Lotor.”

Allura's heart dropped, her stomach plummeting alongside it. If things had felt wrong before, now they felt like a downright catastrophe. The idea of seeing Lotor again was nothing short of unimaginable. Allura bit the edge of her lip, knowing that deep down, in the very depths of her soul, she wouldn't be able to resist Lotor if she saw him again. Her entire heart still yearned for him, straining against her ribs, painfully reminding her of the way he'd really seen _her_ and had loved her for it. Or so she'd thought.

Quickly she stood back from the bed and headed down the hall towards the conference room where Shiro could most frequently be found. Romelle and Coran followed quick on her heels.

Sure enough, as the doors to the conference room opened, Allura could see the black of Shiro’s uniform on the other side. She approached him quickly, and he turned to look at her as he heard her footsteps. He looked concerned as she explained to him what Romelle had told her, doing her best to not sound unnerved.

“We need to come up with a new plan,” She insisted at the end.

Shiro shook his head, “If Honerva really did send her, we won’t have to go looking for her. I’m sure we’ll just find her along the way.”

Allura tried to ignore the chill that came with her next words because she knew they were true, “Or she’ll find us.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning the gang assembled outside the garrison, preparing to take off on their next, and final, mission. Speeches were given while the Paladins hugged their families, saying their indefinite goodbyes. Once everything was settled, they climbed aboard and took off, heading out to see this war to an end, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so thrilled to announce that my friend [Kait](https://assemble-vld.tumblr.com/) is going on this journey with me! The AMAZING artwork you see here belongs to her. She's going to be illustrating one scene from every chapter! I am over the moon and so full of excitement I don't even know how to express it! She is so talented and amazing and she's really going to add so much to this experience so please follow the link above and give her the love she absolutely deserves!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I have 3 things to say about this before you get to the chapter itself.  
> 1\. Thank you guys SO MUCH for all of the love, support and comments. I live for them. Truly. Please continue to reach out to me, tell me the things you want changed, tell me what you liked, I want to hear any and everything you guys want to tell me. Seriously.
> 
> 2\. I know this episode was the Lotor flashbacks. I promise they’re still coming because I also loved them a lot. I’ve just rearranged them in the storyline to make them fit better with the plot changes I’m making. So don’t fret!
> 
> 3\. I changed chapter 1 up a bit to set up for a few more things in the future and I made the sunset scene way softer. It doesn’t really impact this chapter that much, but the changes will show up in later chapters so I’d recommend giving it a reread. :)

The Atlas was laid out similarly to the garrison and weaving through the hallways made Lance feel like they hadn’t left Earth yet. Plus, the Atlas was made with the newest and most cutting edge Earth technology fused with Altean magic, so it moved so smoothly, they couldn’t even feel that they were flying. The other reason the Atlas reminded Lance of the garrison was because it was huge. Like, unreasonably huge. Like, it could probably house fifty Voltrons and still have room.

Lance made his way through the large ship with one destination in mind. He enjoyed the sound of life filling the Atlas as he went— the laughter, chatter and footsteps surrounded him, making him feel more at ease. He knew what they had to do would be hard and that there was absolutely no way to know how long this sort of peace would last. So, he vowed to appreciate it while he could. Plus, in a battle this dire, it was nice to know that he was surrounded and supported by so many people.

Finally, the door he was looking for came into view and he paused. He had barely slept the night before, his heart too jumbled to allow him much relaxation and the exhaustion was starting to wear on him. He had tossed and turned all night, replaying both his conversation with Keith and his conversation with Allura in his head. Their words had bounced around, echoing and distorting until it was too hard for him to set anything straight. He’d tried to count sheep after that, to count backwards from a million, to do anything that might help him fall asleep and stop overanalyzing.  Nothing worked. He felt like his nerves were raw, like they were live wires just waiting to catch fire and burn him down to ash.  Still, he raised his hand and knocked.

“Come in.” The doors slid open and Lance stepped inside.

“Hey,” He said after a moment.

Keith looked up, surprised. “Seeking me out two days in a row? You must not be feeling very well.” he jested.

“I would’ve done this last night but I didn’t think of it.” Lance replied, fishing into the jacket of his blue garrison uniform. The truth was simple: he hadn’t planned to seek Keith out yesterday. Not even after Hunk had been going on and on about Lance needing to talk to both Keith and Allura. But suddenly, when he’d been feeling discouraged and uncertain, the only thing he’d wanted was to see Keith. So he’d sought him out, spur of the moment, with no real plan in mind. Keith watched him, his own uniform unbuttoned and hanging open in the front. After a moment, Lance pulled Keith’s fingerless gloves out of his pocket and extended his arm, offering them to Keith. “I wanted to give these back to you. I managed to save them before we lost the castle.”

“Lance…” Keith took the gloves from his hands, glancing up to meet his eyes and Lance tried not to flush. He’d only had a few moments to grab things before they’d abandoned the castle and the gloves were the only thing he could think to grab. He didn’t even grab any of his own things. He couldn’t be sure why, exactly, the gloves had been the only thing to jump to his mind in that moment. He hadn’t even paused to think about what he’d been doing, he’d just raced through the hallways to Keith’s room, tearing open drawers until he’d found them and tucked them away, barely making it to Red in time to escape. He didn’t regret it, though, because he knew that Keith would want them. And, if things somehow went wrong, they would be something for Lance to remember him by. “Thank you.”

Immediately, Keith slipped the gloves on, flexing his fingers once he did so. It struck Lance then, how different things were. Lance could remember little Keith back at the garrison wearing a uniform that was too big and carrying an attitude that preceded him. And suddenly here he was, the leader of Voltron, in his custom fit red garrison uniform with a scar adorning his cheek. It was a stark difference and yet, underneath it all, Lance knew he was still the same person. He was a more refined version of himself, but he was still the Keith Lance had known for so, so many years.

The smile that ghosted across Keith’s lips was enough to make it all worth it. Lance may never see his favorite jacket again, but he’d always have this moment to come back to and replay in his head. He’d always be able to remember the way Keith’s eyes lit up as he inspected his gloves again. It made everything feel momentarily right, because the Keith that Lance pictured in his mind was Keith with his stupid mullet, fingerless gloves and paladin armor. And now, miraculously, he was able to be that Keith again. The gap that had grown between them with Keith’s absence seemed to shrink in that moment, making Lance feel connected to him in a way he hadn’t been able to manage since Keith returned.

“Yeah, so, that’s all I wanted to do…” Lance said awkwardly, shuffling his feet on the ground. He felt a mixture of emotions swirling around inside his stomach, annoyed at the fact that it had become normal for him to feel this way. Part of him felt silly for saving Keith’s gloves when he didn’t save anything of his own but he knew, if given the chance, he’d grab them again, every time.  After a brief pause he turned and headed back towards the door.

“Hey, how’d your date go?” Keith asked a moment before Lance reached the button to open the doors.

“I told you, it wasn’t a date.” Lance let out a sad sigh, the weight of it settling on his shoulders again, making him feel like he was going to collapse. It was exhausting to feel so many things and he wished briefly that he could stop being so confused and just focus on one thing at a time. Maybe then he’d sleep at night or not spend every second with his mind in constant overdrive, analyzing everything that happened around him. “It’s not ever going to be a date. We’re never going to be a thing.”

“Hey, Lance, don’t say that.” Keith took a tentative step forward, a hand extending into the distance between him and Lance but never making contact. Lance sucked in a breath at the tone of his voice and the way he was clearly trying so hard to be a good friend. “You don’t know that. You absolutely could be.”

“No,” Lance let his head drop forward, his eyes staring at the tiled ground, unfocused. “I’m not going to let us be a thing. She deserves better.”

“Better?” Keith echoed, sounding incredulous. “Better than _you_?”

“You weren’t there, Keith. You didn’t see her with Lotor. That’s what she deserves.”

“Lotor is gone,” Keith remarked, his hand still hovering in that gap. Lance could sense him there and he wasn’t sure if he was glad that Keith was keeping his distance or if he wished Keith would just throw caution to the wind and commit to the contact.

There was something in the very depths of Lance that was yawning open, threatening to swallow him whole. It’d been there from the very beginning, always growing a little wider when he was around Keith. He didn’t have a name for it, didn’t _want_ a name for it, but it was constantly there. He had initially thought that it only got worse when he spent time with Keith. But then, Keith had left for the Blades of Marmora and the feeling had overwhelmed Lance making him feel emptier and more alone than he could ever remember feeling. The deepest parts of Lance’s soul always reacted to Keith and the stronger the reactions got, the more Lance began to wonder. He could feel it now, slithering up and around his heart, making it ache. His heart beat erratically against it, straining as if it were trying to burst out his chest entirely. He wondered where it would go. Maybe it would make a home in Keith’s chest, beating alongside his heart, Lance thought fleetingly.

“Still, he brought out a side of her we’d never seen. He understood her in a way I never could. She deserves that, Keith.” Lance tried to push the sadness out of his own voice, but he could feel it seeping through anyways. It was strange to feel the ache that came with this loss, since he had begun to move on. He wasn’t sure if he was mourning the loss of Allura or the loss of what he had built them up to be in his head. The further he got from the situation, the more he began to realize that they weren’t the same thing— their real relationship and his mental relationship with her had very little in common when he got down to the truth of it.

Suddenly Keith was there, next to Lance, looking over at his expression. The hand that had been hovering finally committed, resting on Lance’s shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. It was warm through the fabric of Lance’s garrison uniform and Keith’s gloves. Lance liked it. “So do you, Lance.”

“Can we just… can we not talk about this?” Lance felt like his chest had cracked open and the emotions were slowly leaking out of him. He wanted to reach up and press his hand to his chest and hold himself together but he knew that urge was ridiculous. There wasn’t anything actually wrong with him, no matter how it felt. Still, the urge wouldn’t leave and he had to clench his fists against it.

The way Keith was looking at Lance was so soft it was physically painful for Lance. Suddenly Lance was reminded of the night before and the way Keith had looked, fading into the sunset.  “If someone makes you feel like you aren’t good enough, Lance, they aren’t the right person for you.”

“Or they’re right and I’m _not_ good enough.”

“I trust you with my life, Lance.” Keith’s voice was so sincere, Lance didn’t know what to do. He finally glanced up from the floor to meet Keith’s gaze head on and immediately was frozen in place. “I know that you’ll never miss. You’ll always have my back. I know that I can count on you for anything. Not good enough? That’s the least true thing I’ve ever heard.”

   The two of them maintained eye contact for what felt like centuries. Lance considered reaching for Keith, grabbing him by the ends of that open garrison uniform and tugging him into a hug. He thought about how it would feel to hug Keith— how satisfying it would be because he’d wanted to hug him for years. But something in the back of Lance’s mind was going off like an alarm, insisting that _Keith_ had to be the one to initiate their hug, if they ever hugged at all. So he refrained, settling to just enjoy the way Keith’s handprint was burning into his skin, leaving a feeling that Lance knew would linger for hours.

“Saying such kind things to me two days in a row?” Lance playfully mocked his words from earlier, trying to lighten the mood and change the topic. “You must be the one who is sick.”

That startled a smile out of Keith who shoved him by the shoulder he’d previously been holding. “I’ve just seen you go through a lot, okay? And you’ve grown a lot in the years I’ve known you. You’re less of the annoying Earth Lance and more of the Paladin Lance who knows his worth and what he has to offer. I just don’t want you to forget that.”

* * *

 

Keith was the last to arrive to the hangar. The rest of the team was in their gear, standing around their respective lions, getting ready to go. Keith walked in, donned in his own paladin armor, red helmet tucked under his arm. It wasn’t a complicated mission— it wasn’t even supposed to be dangerous— but it was still the first mission of the final battle and that felt like a weight he had to bear. Over the years, he’d gotten better and understanding that being the leader didn’t mean the burden was his and his alone. He’d begun to recognize that the others could handle anything and everything thrown at them and that he was allowed to lean on them from time to time. Still, as the leader, he felt like he should have at least slightly more responsibility than the others and he put extra pressure on himself.

“Everyone ready?” He asked as he approached the team.

Everyone turned to look at him and he was struck for a moment by the way they had all grown. It was incredible to think that this was the start of their final battle and that, once this was all over, they’d finally get to live the lives they’d always imagined for themselves. He’d watched them go from a bunch of misfits who had banded together out of necessity to a team who worked together flawlessly, protecting each other and enhancing each other. He’d gone from an outcast, to a teammate to a leader and he knew, with unwavering certainty, that these people would do anything for him, just like he’d do anything for them. A feeling of pride swelled in him and, despite the risks that lay ahead, he felt optimistic. Together, they could overcome anything.

“At your command, team leader.” Lance was leaning back against Red, his helmet on the ground next to him and arms crossed over his chest, a casual smile on his lips. Keith tried not to think about their moment earlier, or their moment the night before— why were they having so many moments all of a sudden? — and instead glanced around at the rest of the team, meeting everyone’s eyes.  

“Alright guys, we’re going in before the Atlas and clearing a path if necessary. Remember, this is a diplomatic mission, not a battle. So be careful. Understood?”

The team sounded off in response to him, each expressing their understanding. With that, he gave them a nod and everyone scattered, climbing into their lions. Keith climbed into Black, walking into the cockpit for what felt like the millionth time. He could feel the familiar hum of Black in the back of his mind, the comfort of him curling around Keith, connecting with him. As he took a seat in his pilot’s chair, he felt like Black was just an extension of his own body. Reaching for the controls came naturally and Black roared to life around him, hopping to his feet immediately.

Through the windows Keith could see the other lions come to life, each standing tall and proud, prepared for what was to come. He could faintly make out each of the paladins from within their lion and that feeling of pride overwhelmed him again as he waited for the doors to Atlas to open. He could see the rest of the crew scrambling on the ground, trying to rush out of the room so the doors could be opened. Once the last member exited, the Atlas opened, revealing the dark expanse of space.

Keith was the first to move, throwing his controls forwards. Black sprinted forward, diving elegantly out into space and taking off towards their destination. It was only a moment before he could see the other lions flanking him, holding a tight formation. Atlas pulls up the rear, raising its shields as the base came into view. He didn’t have to look to know where everyone was as they moved, his connection to his lion and his team made it so that he could feel them as they got closer to their destination. Each paladin and Lion had a special spot inside Keith, humming in a way that made him feel like they, too, were extensions of him. As if, without them, he couldn’t quite be complete. It made him feel like a part of something bigger— like he’d finally found a place to call home.

Once they were within range, Keith opened up a communication channel with the base. “This is the Voltron Coalition,” He announced, the next words poised on his tongue. “We—”

Before he had a chance to say anything further, the base began to attack. Lasers were suddenly shooting at them from every angle and they were forced to break formation in an attempt to stay safe. Keith dove down, spinning around to get a quick visual on the rest of his team. He could feel them scattering around him, doing their best to avoid a hit, but he still wanted to see him. A visual gave him the most comfort. Atlas, with its shields up, was still moving forward, taking direct hits. Lance had weaved around and pulled back up to Keith’s side, Allura was high above, Pidge was diving towards the planet and Hunk was floating along in the middle. Certain that everyone was alright, Keith turned his attention back to the battle at hand, only to see an entire fleet of fighters rising off of the planet and heading straight towards them.

“Paladins, you take the fighters. We’re locked on to the ground cannons.” Shiro’s voice crackled through the coms.

“Roger,” Keith replied before addressing his team. “You heard him, guys. We’ve got the fighters. Remember, we want no casualties. Disable them, don’t destroy them.”

The team sprung into action, the lions fanning out to divert the fighters away from the base so Atlas had a clear shot. Keith scanned the scenery as he swerved, trying to think of a good plan. The base was nestled in an outcropping of rocks— one that was full of plenty of caves. With an idea, Keith dove towards the planet, guiding Black easily into one of the caves. A series of fighters dove down after him, shooting the entire time. He bobbed and weaved, waiting until they were all successfully in the cave before acting. The lasers bounced around him, hitting the rock and causing it to come crumbling down. Black shook occasionally, sometimes getting thrown to the side as Keith was unable to dodge in such a tight space. Finally he was far enough in to be certain that all of the fighters that had followed him were also immersed in the caves. It was time.

With a quick flick of his wrists, Black’s tail rose, shooting its own lasers. The rocks crumbled behind Keith, tumbling to the ground and blocking the cave. Keith shoved the controls further forward, picking up speed until he was soaring out of the opposite end of the cave, free and clear. As he looked around, he could see Pidge’s vines wrapping up some of the ships, holding them stationary in space. He could see some ships on the ground with partially frozen wings. Lance was on the ground, too, the paws of red pinning down a few ships. Hunk was off in the distance, leading the fighters away and dodging all of their attacks, keeping Atlas free from attack.

“Paladins,” Shiro’s voice sounded again, “The MFE pilots are on their way, clearing a path for the rebel ships. Matt will be dropping down in T-15 ticks to take out the power to this base.”

“Roger.”

As if cued, the MFE pilots soared past Keith, the rebel ships close on their tails. The doors to the rebel ships were open and Keith caught a glimpse of Matt in his armor as they rushed by. Unable to waste time distracted, Keith surged forward again, bringing up the rear and distracting any ships that might have a clear shot at Matt and the others as they dove. The adrenaline was pumping through him and he almost jumped when a shot from the Atlas flew by him, connecting with the cannons on the ground and destroying them. He glanced around again, relieved to see that they had things mostly under control.

A few more ships appeared next to him suddenly and he swerved to the side, crashing into them with Black’s body and knocking them off course as Matt dove for the ground, the rest of his crew in tow. Keith could feel Lance take off from the ground suddenly, swooping up to knock away a fighter that had been closing in on Pidge. Through his coms he could hear the team hooting and hollering as they continued to disable the entirety of the fleet, leaving themselves free and clear.

It didn’t take long for them to conquer the Galra. In what felt like no time at all, they had no more ships from the fleet left to fight and Matt and his team were seconds away from knocking out all power to the base. An explosion sounded below and suddenly everything underneath them went dark. The paladins resumed their positions on Keith, falling back into a formation that came naturally to all of them now.

“Great work team,” Keith was saying into the coms, “Now we just need to—”

The end of his sentence was cut off by a large blast from somewhere in space. More blasts followed it immediately, rocking Atlas and nearly knocking the lions out of the air.

“Where are those blasts coming from?” Shiro sounded almost frantic as the defenses of the Atlas went back up again.

“I don’t know,” Pidge replied hastily, “I’m running a scan but I can’t detect anything.”

Allura suddenly raced to the front of the group, the sonar gun appearing on Blue’s back. “I’m on it!”

The rest of the team continued moving while Allura scanned, doing their best to withstand any hits. It only took a moment for the information to pass from Allura to Pidge who was then immediately back in the coms, “I’ve got it. There’s two cloaked satellites above. That’s what’s shooting at us.”

“Alright team, on me. It’s time to Form Voltron.” Keith took off, flying straight up and giving the rest of the team fall into place.

As soon as everyone was in line, Keith could feel it in his very being— the connection to the other paladins. It felt like a tugging, as if the world were pulling them together. Keith succumbed to the feeling, reaching out to the others and pulling them to him. He could feel the others give in one by one and suddenly, instead of feeling five distinct people, it felt like they were only one. Black took over, automatically shifting and transforming to allow the others to merge, forming the defender of the universe.

Once the transformation was complete, Keith glanced down at his console to where Pidge had transferred the map and outline of the satellites. They were further away than he’d like and shooting constantly, covering the Atlas in heavy fire. Plus the MFE pilots and the rebel ships were still out in the open and at risk. Keith knew immediately that they had to get to the satellites quickly and take them down.

As if Voltron were thinking the same thing, the bayard slot next to Keith opened. He could feel Voltron asking it of him, could feel the taut string connecting him to the one other person that he needed. Raising his hand, Keith called his bayard to him, at the same time yelling, “Lance!”

“On it!” Lance yelled in response.

Keith could feel Lance’s movements mirroring his own, could feel the moment Lance slammed his bayard into the slot and twisted. Immediately, the wings appeared on the back of Voltron and they took off, soaring quickly towards the satellites. At the last moment, Keith called out for the sword and the team and Voltron responded in kind, pulling the sword out in time to slice through the satellites with absolute ease.

* * *

 

The inside of the base looked similar to most of the other bases Keith had been to. In his time with the Blades of Marmora he'd done a lot of infiltration for information and was pretty familiar with the layouts of these facilities. Because of that, he led the team through the maze of hallways and to the control room with ease. Once they reached the control room and the doors slid open, the team let out a collective breath of surprise.

There, in the center of the room, was a Galra, staring at the team with as much malice as Keith had ever seen. “Look who it is.”

“Hey, pal!” Hunk waved to the guy as they entered the room. “Nice to see you again!”

Keith was struck, not for the first time, of just how kind Hunk really was. The Galra was clearly not excited to see them, but it didn't prevent Hunk from attempting to strike up a casual conversation.

“Do not talk to me as if we are friends,” The man spat.

Keith stepped forward then, feeling a spike of irritation at the man's tone. “You know this guy?”

“Yeah, this is Captain Lan.” Hunk glanced between Keith and the Galra.

Lan, affronted, took a step towards Hunk. “It's Warlord now.”

“Sorry, Warlord Lan. You don't know him because you were gone having a space road trip with your mom.” Hunk's words were not unkind. It didn't even seem like he thought about them before he said them, but they still cut Keith deep. Just yesterday Lance had mentioned something about Keith leaving and now Hunk was bringing it up, too? It appeared his absence had a greater effect than he thought. “I thought we became friends when we were working together to repair the shield that protected his planet. And, you know, saved all of his people from a Galra attack.”

“The Galra were only attacking because of Voltron!” Lan cried, shoving an accusing finger towards Hunk.

“Woah, now.” Lance stepped up to Hunk's side, fixing Lan with an irritated look, too. “The Galra were already attacking when we arrived. Without us, you wouldn't have made it.”

“Then we would have lost honorably.” Lan lifted his chin arrogantly and whatever shred of self control Keith had been holding onto snapped.

“Things don't have to be victory or death!” He cried, frustration lacing every syllable. “I get that it's the Galra way but—”

Lan cut him off swiftly. “What do you know of the Galra way?”

“My mother is a Galra of the Blades of Marmora. I have worked alongside them for months now to—”

“The Blades are a bunch of traitors.” Lan spat. “It's no wonder they took in a half breed like you.”

There was a flash of red in Keith's mind and he seriously considered decking Lan. Instead, he took a deep breath and turned away. He was a leader now; calm, composed and focused. He couldn't afford to rise to the taunts of his opponents like that and he wasn't going to let Lan know that he'd gotten under his skin. Even though he had. Deep under it.

“Now you listen here,” Lance was stepping towards Lan with a finger pressed firmly into his chest.

Keith never got to hear what Lance was going to say. An alarm sounded suddenly around them and the few other Galra who were inside the control room began tapping away furiously on their keyboards. Matt and team had restored the power once everyone else was safely inside and sure that it was no longer a hostile environment. It seemed like a good thing now as a distress signal flashed across the screen.

“That's…” Lan looked perplexed. “That's from one of our ships that went missing quintants ago. We assumed they were all dead.”

“Well it looks like they're alive and in need of help.” Pidge stepped up to the nearest control panel, tapping away at the screen.

The map she was working on rotated and zoomed as she pinpointed the location of the distress signal. Annoyed, Lan took an aggressive step towards Pidge, only to have Keith stop him by roughly grabbing his arm and yanking. He shot a furious look at Keith who didn't back down.

“My team can take care of our own fleet without you.” He retorted, ripping his arm harshly from Keith's grasp.

Keith was about to reach for him again when Shiro stepped up, a calm expression matching his calm tone. “Warlord Lan, please. We've never done anything but try and help you. We want this war to be over just as badly as you do. If there's ever going to be a chance at peace, we need you to work with us and we need you to do it now. We want to help save them.”

“Got it!” Pidge cried suddenly and the map in front of her steadied. “It looks like they're a few galaxies over.”

“I know that area,” Keith stepped closer to the map, inspecting it. “There's another Galra base there. What was your fleet doing?”

Lan turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. “Pillaging,” he said after a moment.

“You're turning on your own people and have the nerve to—” Shiro held up a hand to silence Lance, who glanced over at Keith and shared a long, knowing, irritated look.

“Warlord Lan,” Shiro tried again and Keith wondered where he got his unfailing patience from. “Please. Let us help.”

“You can try all you want but my team would never welcome your help.”

“Lucky for us,” Keith stepped forward and gripped Lan by the forearm hard enough to ensure that he couldn't wriggle free. “You're coming with us so you can tell them to cooperate.”

“What? But—!”

“Pidge, upload the coordinates to the Lions. Shiro, you coming?” Keith had moved past attempting to be polite to Lan and instead ignored his protests entirely.

With a wry smile, Shiro shook his head. “It'll be hours before Atlas is ready to fly again. Plus, we need to make sure they have everything they need here.”

“Understood.” Keith started to head off towards the lions, the rest of his team falling in step behind him without hesitation.

“Will you guys be okay?” Shiro asked.

Keith looked at his team and then at Shiro. “Of course we will be. We have each other.”

* * *

 

The paladins were just finishing their preparations when Shiro approached. Keith had situated Lan inside Black and left Kosmo guarding, stepping back onto the ground and approaching Shiro.

“Ready to go?” Shiro asked.

Keith paused and glanced around at the rest of the team. “I think so.”

Seeing Keith lead the team brought Shiro so much pride and joy. He had loved being a paladin of Voltron, sure, but he also loved leading the Atlas. He loved being a part of the fight, making a difference and supporting those around him. Those were the things he really stood for and he didn't care what he piloted as long as he got to make that sort of impact. Plus, stepping aside allowed Keith to rise into the role of leader and it suited him well. He looked confident and more self assured that Shiro had ever seen him look.

“If anything goes wrong out there, send a signal and I'll be there as fast as I can be.” Shiro said once Keith had settled his attention back on him.

Keith raised an eyebrow. “You said Atlas wouldn't be ready to fly again for hours.”

“And Atlas won't be.” Shiro replied, “But Atlas has cruisers on it among other ships. If you need me, I'll be there. I know I'm not a part of Voltron anymore, but we're still on the same team.”

“Shiro,” Keith cut him off, but he had a faint smile ghosting his lips. “You're still the leader to me. I wouldn't dream of doing anything without including you or at least getting your approval. I promise, if we need you, we'll call.”

In response, Shiro gave a proper and genuine smile. He glanced over Keith's shoulder to watch the rest of the paladins take their seats in the pilot's chairs. It was nice, he thought, to still feel like a part of something, even when he was on the outside looking in.

“I know you'll do a great job, but make sure everyone comes back safely. Got it?”

Keith glanced back at the lions, too. “I'll do my best. But if a sacrifice is needed, I'm giving them Lance with no hesitation.”

Shiro laughed, shaking his head and backing away. He had known Keith and Lance since the very beginning of their rivalry and he'd watched it grow into familiarity, fondness, mutual respect and then friendship. Still, old habits die hard and the two of them rarely went a day without bickering about something.

After Shiro was far enough away, Keith climbed back up into Black and took off, diving elegantly into the night. Shiro would never forget what it was like to fly Black, to feel him curled up peacefully in the back of his mind. He'd never forget the way Black connected to him, responding to his commands before he even had a chance to give them. It had felt like power and belonging. But, as Matt came to grab Shiro, explaining what was needed of him and the impact of his task, Shiro couldn't bring himself to regret stepping aside. With one last look towards the empty hangar, he followed Matt to change lives, knowing he would sleep good tonight.

* * *

 

The ship was empty, eerily so. Lance had his blasters going as he floated alongside Hunk, the powerless ship dark and decrepit. As soon as they had arrived on the ship, Keith had split them up. He'd sent Pidge with Allura and Lan to review the security footage. Lance and Hunk had been assigned to search one half of the ship while Keith searched the other with Kosmo. The plan was to meet in the middle.

Lance wasn't sure if Keith had split him and Allura up out of strategy or respect for Lance's feelings but he found that he was glad either way. It had become kind of suffocating to be around her, as if he had to try and be as invisible as possible when she was near, fading into the background.

“So,” Hunk was looking at Lance as they traveled down one or the hallways, clearly following Lance's train of thought. “Did you talk to Allura?”

“You didn't give me much choice in the matter,” Lance grumbled in response.

Hunk smiled sheepishly but was clearly unapologetic. Lance rolled his eyes. “And how did it go? What did you say to her?”

Lance remembered the day he'd come to Hunk, heartbroken and forlorn. He'd expressed to Hunk his reservations and the sinking realization he was having that things between him and Allura wouldn't work. Hunk had been kind, of course, but honest, too. He'd gently agreed, stating that he had never thought Lance and Allura were a good pair. It stung to hear, but it helped Lance take the step forward that he needed. Still, he was going to allow himself time to mourn his loss because it hurt, deeply, whether or not it should.

“I told her that I was in love with her but that it wouldn't work and I knew that.” Hunk let out a low whistle at Lance's words, wincing as if he, too, were feeling the sharp stab of the words into his heart. “And she basically confirmed that it was never going to happen.”

A loud bang came from the end of the hallway the boys had just left. They spun around together, both shining their flashlights into the distance. No other sounds came and they could see no movement so, with adrenaline pumping through their veins and making them jumpy, they continued the way they had been going.

“Are you okay?” Hunk asked as they rounded the corner into a new hallway.

Lance hesitated, not because he didn't have an answer for Hunk but because he was surprised to be asked. Allura had asked him the same question the night before, tears in her eyes. Did it really seem impossible for him to move on from a heartbreak? Sure it hurt, but Lance was capable of bending without breaking. He knew there were more important things in the universe than romance; a huge intergalactic war, for example. People got over unrequited love all the time and Lance was about to be one of them. He loved love, sure, but he had other facets of his personality, other interests and talents to offer. No matter what happened with his heart, he would continue onward, refusing to let it rule his life.

“I'm fine,” Lance bristled, trying not to let Hunk see. He knew Hunk was just asking as a concerned best friend but it still stung a little. “I just need some time but nothing has to change between us.”

Hunk turned to Lance, hand poised to gesture as he spoke, but never got the words out. Something crashed into the back of Hunk's helmet and he gasped, turning to look. Whatever it was then smashed into the front of Hunk's helmet and Hunk cried out, reaching up and throwing it off of him. This only resulted in it crashing against _Lance's_ helmet, smearing something across the visor and blocking his vision.

They both flailed, hands wiping vigorously over their helmets in a desperate attempt to get their vision back. Lance could feel his heart beating erratically in his chest and wondered if this was some sort of ambush.

“Oh,” Hunk said suddenly, “It's food goo.”

Lance froze, “Food goo? Seriously?”

In a less panicked state, he took the time to really wipe off his visor only to find that it was, in fact, just a plate of food goo that had attacked them. He felt beyond silly.

“Oh, but it's rotten!” Hunk cried, shaking his hand to dislodge the remnants of it. “Disgusting! Why does food goo keep betraying and attacking me?”

Before Lance could say anything back, static filled their ears. It was a moment later that the static was replaced with Pidge's voice. “Hey guys, we found something here. It looks like there's some sort of creature taking out the crew.”

“Creature? Like what?” Lance asked.

“Well,” The tone in Pidge's voice did not make Lance feel confident. “You'll know it when you see it. It's huge and incredibly fast.”

“Like how huge?” Hunk was asking when Lance came to a sudden halt, grabbing Hunk and yanking him back.

They loomed just outside of a doorway, barely able to see inside. But, despite the darkness, Lance was able to make out a clear shape moving around. It looked tall, taller than him, and big enough to put up a good fight. Hunk followed his line of sight, shrinking further away from the doorway when he caught sight of what Lance was looking it.

Both of them had lowered and turned off their flashlights and in a few extra moments, their eyes were adjusting to the dark. The longer they stayed in silence, the more Lance was able to see. Pidge, as it turned out, had been right. Lance knew that he was seeing the monster Pidge had mentioned, despite having no physical description to go off of.

“Pidge?” Lance whispered as quietly as he could into his headset, hoping beyond hope that the monster wouldn't hear him. “We found it.”

The silence that followed only lasted the length of a breath. Suddenly his headset was alive with static again before Pidge's voice boomed through, loud and clear. “What was that, Lance? I couldn't really hear you.”

The monster whipped around immediately and Lance and Hunk both froze. It paused to assess them briefly before lunging. Lance reached instinctively for his Bayard but it didn't even matter. By the time his fingers had even grazed the handle of it, the monster was already gone, having shoved him and Hunk to the side.

* * *

 

Keith couldn't quite make out the yells that were coming through his headset. Lance was a garbled mess, saying something about a monster and to be on the lookout. Pidge, from her own helmet, was trying to give a more detailed explanation of what was going on.

“Lance and Hunk saw this—” Pidge was attempting to elaborate but her words were getting lost in the static.

“Can only one person explain, please?” Keith asked calmly. “I can't understand either of you when you're both talking.”

Something clattered in the distance and it set Keith's nerves immediately on edge. From what he had gathered over the coms, Lance and Hunk had joined Pidge, Allura and Lan in the control room. He'd gathered something about security footage, the crew disappearing and a monster. It wasn't a lot to put together and their connection within the ship seemed to be sketchy as best, constantly cutting in and out, making it impossible to understand even when only one of them was talking.

There was another clanging in the distance and Keith extended his hand, calling his bayard into it. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he continued slowly down the hallway, eyes scanning the distance.

Before he had a chance to even register what was happening, he was suddenly being thrown back and pinned to the wall. True to Lance's words, a monster hovered over him, claws digging into the armor at his shoulders. Keith struggled, thrashing against the creature on top of him but it was bigger than him and certainly stronger. It sniffed at him, slowly breathing against his neck and he shivered.

A moment later he could feel Kosmo wedging his nose under his arm and then the tingly feeling filled him. It had been weird adjusting to the feeling of teleporting with Kosmo but now he was used to it. It felt like a sort of static settling under his skin, making his entire body feeling alive. One moment he was pinned to the wall, staring down the jaws of a monster that seemed to think he'd taste delicious and the next he was being steadied by Lance's hands in the control room of the ship, the rest of the team rushing over to him.

He reached out and stroked along Kosmo's head briefly, a thank you for saving his life. Kosmo bumped his nose into Keith affectionately in return.

“What just happened?” Allura asked, leaning over Lance's shoulder to inspect Keith. Lance's face matched Keith's uneasy feelings.

“I found the monster.” Keith replied, before turning to Lan. “And now I know what base you were pillaging. I know that monster.”

“You what?” The team turned collectively towards him, shock clear on all of their faces.

“Rannveig found that creature in the quantum abyss.” Keith started to explain, glancing at the screen behind Pidge to keep an eye out for it. “He did experimentation on it to see if he could get it to fight for him. It was a Galra-killing monster. The problem was that it couldn't tell the difference between friend and enemy. So they locked it up.”

Lance moved slightly, catching Keith's attention. He glanced back and they locked eyes. “If they locked it up, how did it get in here?”

“Krolia and I released it. Or, well, we gave them the ability to release it.” Keith answered.

“Did you… Did you know what it was?” Hunk asked, terrified.

“Krolia did.” Keith glanced away from his team again, feeling a weight settle on his shoulders. “It was the only way for us to get off that ship alive though.”

“Well,” It was Allura who jumped to Keith's defense, surprisingly. “We've all had to do things we regret to stay alive, that's the nature of war. I'm just glad you made it back to us because we need you.”

Surprised by her kind words, Keith turned to look at Allura. When she had found out his Galra heritage, things had gotten incredibly tense between them. But, to her credit, she had been able to open her mind and look past that. While his Galra heritage had been a shock to all of them, it had turned out to be for everyone's benefit. The realization that not all Galra are bad opened the door for them to forge a relationship with the Blades which had successfully turned the tide in the war. And that, along with the acceptance of Allura and everyone else, had led to Keith being able to accept that side of himself.

“Exactly. All that matters is that we make it out of here alive. So, what do we need to do?” Lance jumped in, encouraging as always.

If Keith had to describe Lance in one word, it would be unflinching. Everything that was thrown at him, he took in stride. He never lost hope or sight of the big picture and was incapable of being discouraged. He always dealt with the issue at hand, resolving it before addressing any lingering questions or feelings. Plus, he maintained a level head. This was why Keith considered Lance his impulse control. Although Keith trusted all of his team implicitly, Lance was the only one who could see to the very core of Keith's being and that's exactly why he had the ability to reign Keith back in.

“Well, it hunts Galra only. So we need to get out of here before it notices Lan. There's nothing else to do, it's too late for the rest of the crew.” Keith said and the team agreed.

Immediately, Pidge pulled up the map on the screen, quickly locating their quickest exit out. She downloaded the map to her gear and they were off. They moved quietly and slowly through the hallways, nobody talking or even breathing audibly. They had their flashlights running, pointing one in all directions to cover their backs.

“The closest and only way out, really, is the way we came in.” Pidge whispered quietly. Despite Pidge being just a few feet away from him, Keith could only faintly hear her voice through the helmet.

The rest of the team was in front of Keith. He pulled up the rear with Lan directly in front of him and Kosmo at his side. Slowly, they entered a large room; so large Keith could barely see the door on the other side. The group paused, shining their flashlights around and clearing the room before entering. Once it was considered safe, they traveled out into the open, still in a large group.

Keith's nerves were on edge and he couldn't bring himself to release his grip on his bayard. They moved across the room with relative ease, and were just approaching the door when Keith heard the breathing over his shoulder. He remembered someone saying something about the monster being fast when they had been talking over each other previously.

“Run!” He yelled as loud as he could, ignoring the way it startled his team and whipping around with his sword out.

Sure enough, the monster was merely inches away from him, it's eyes darting between him and Lan. Keith could feel the team scatter behind him and, a moment later, there were shots coming from Lance and Hunk's guns. The monster dodged, darting around the room with ease. Briefly, Keith wondered how it moved so freely in space but the question disappeared from his mind the moment he saw the creature slam into the door that was between him and the rest of the team.

It slammed once, twice, and on the third time, the door broke, slamming shut all at once. Keith, Lan and Kosmo were left alone with the creature while the rest of the team was trapped outside. Knowing he didn't have time to worry or panic, Keith situated himself between Lan and the monster, calling forth his blade again.

The monster was fast. Keith couldn't even track its movements. The moment he determined where it was, it moved and he suddenly lost it all over again. It wasn't surprising that it was able to knock him out of the way like nothing more than a plaything. He hit the wall hard, his bayard temporarily clattering out of his hand. The monster lunged again and this time Kosmo met it in the middle, rising to Keith's defense. A barbed tail that Keith hadn't even noticed before snaked out and wrapped around Kosmo, slamming him into the ground. He let out one yelp and Keith's heart broke.

“Keith!” Lance's voice came through the coms suddenly. “We're coming for you!”

“We can't open the door though. It broke the gears when it smashed into the frame. So hold tight while we find another way in.” Pidge's voice immediately followed Lance's.

The creature dove for Keith again and he dropped low, scooping Kosmo and his bayard up on his way back to defend Lan. He rose from the ground, relieved to feel Kosmo breathing in his arms and stopped in between Lan and the creature. The creature hovered in front of the door, staring at them across the open expanse of the large room.

“Let me at him,” Lan was saying, trying to shove Keith out of the way.

The monster lunged then and Keith didn't even have time to think. There was a feeling in the very depths of his gut that caused him to raise his bayard, pointing it at the creature. He watched in amazement as the bayard shifted shapes in his hand. But, instead of turning into the sword he was familiar with, it turned into a blaster. Keith didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger, narrowly missing the creature and knocking it off balance and out of the way. The blast had been so powerful that it had burned a hole straight through the door, granting them an escape. Keith ushered Lan ahead of him, pulling up the rear with Kosmo still in his arms.

“Is that a gun?!” Lance cried incredulously as Keith came through the door. He immediately picked up shooting at the creature as it attempted to follow.

“Pidge,” Keith ignored Lance's question for the time being, unable to focus on it right now. “Get us out of here.”

“We still only have one exit option and it's not exactly close.” She responded as they collectively took off down the hallway.

Without even a thought, Keith raised his newly acquired gun and shot ahead of the group, blasting a hole straight through the wall of the ship. Immediately they were being pulled towards the hole, along with a lot of debris. They had to struggle to dodge the debris and keep the monster occupied enough to lock it inside. It wasn't an easy feat, but soon they were all plummeting through the gap and into space. Pidge went last, using her grip hook to pull a long sheet of metal after her, successfully blocking the hole and locking the monster in.

A terrible screech sounded from inside the ship and everyone flinched. Just trapping the monster wasn't enough, Keith knew, but he wasn't sure what else to do. As if understanding his question, the ship below them suddenly exploded, throwing shards of glass and metal all around. The paladins scattered, avoiding burning pieces and racing back towards their lions.

“What just happened?” Keith asked through the coms as he waited for Lan to finish climbing into Black.

“On our way out, I rigged it to self destruct.” Pidge replied.

“Good thinking, Pidge.” Came Allura's response.

Keith clambered up in Black behind Lan, laying Kosmo down gently and stroking along his soft fur briefly. “Alright guys, let's head back. There's nothing left to do here.”

Everyone jumped to attention, falling into formation and soaring back towards the base and Atlas.

* * *

 

“I thought I said to call if you needed help!” Shiro cried the moment he watched Keith carry Kosmo off of Black.

The rest of the paladins climbed down soon after and Allura immediately rushed to Kosmo, holding her hands over him and scanning him. Keith was looking at Shiro but wouldn't cross over to him, wouldn't leave his wolf's side, so Shiro walked across the room to him.

“We're fine,” Keith started, gesturing around him to the rest of the team who were, indeed, still in one piece. “Plus, we didn't exactly have time to make an additional call.”

“Keith,” Shiro could hear the mixture of exasperation and a warning in his own tone.

Keith didn't back down, but he didn't lose his cool either. He was no longer the Keith that didn't like being challenged by authority. Instead, he met Shiro's gaze directly and began to explain what had happened. It sounded like a nightmare and Shiro came out the other side of the story proud of his team for thinking quick on their feet and protecting each other.

Allura rose suddenly, turning to look at Keith. “He's going to be fine.”

The relief was palpable on Keith as his shoulders sagged. Kosmo thumped his tail on the ground a few times, indicating that he was now awake. With no hesitation, Keith knelt down and began to stroke his head, murmuring to him. There wasn't much else for Shiro to say on the matter, so he crouched down and began to pet Kosmo's back.

“Just, stay safe in the future, okay?” He said after a moment.

“I promise you don't have to worry. I'll always protect the team.” Keith replied.

Shiro had a response on the tip of his tongue but didn't get a chance to say it. Instead, Lance walked up, clapping Keith on the shoulder, “And I've always got his back.”

* * *

 

The rest of the ship was asleep, but Hunk was wide awake. Out in space, it was hard to tell what was day and night so the Atlas was set on a strict schedule to keep everyone as rested as possible. After the mission, Hunk had gone back to his room like he was supposed to. He'd gone through all the motions of getting ready for bed and even climbed into it, but he couldn't calm down enough to sleep. He was terribly shaken from the mission earlier in the day and there was only one thing he could think of to help him relax. That was how he found himself alone in the kitchen, in the dead of their night cycle, clanging pots and pans as he cooked in a haste.

The boxes of ingredients his parents had sent him with were open on the counter, their contents scattered about. Usually Hunk was very precise with his measuring, always cleaning up immediately and never leaving a mess. Tonight, however, his hands shook as he held the measuring cup and he found that he just couldn't care when he spilled something.

The door to the kitchen opened suddenly and Hunk nearly jumped out of his skin until he turned and saw Shay standing there, an expression of concern on her face.

“I thought I heard you in here,” She said kindly, stepping into the room.

“What are you doing up?” Hunk set his ingredients down, resting his hands on the counter and leaning his weight onto them. He took a deep breath, trying to release the tension he could feel in his shoulders.

Shay crossed over to him, placing one hand on the counter near his and the other on his back, rubbing gentle circles. “I could ask you the same thing.”

A moment passed where Hunk considered lying. But this was Shay and she had never judged Hunk. She'd never regarded him with anything other than respect and kindness. She was gentle and wise and an all around bright spot in Hunk's life. He knew he could tell her his real feelings and she wouldn't think they were silly.

With a deep breath, he said “That mission earlier wasn't supposed to be dangerous. It was supposed to be a simple in and out. Instead we ended up traipsing across the galaxy and nearly getting killed by a weird, genetically modified, Galra eating monster. It almost ate Keith!”

Shay's eyebrows were raised in surprise but it wasn't unkind. “That sounds terrifying.”

“It was!” Hunk pushed off the counter but didn't move far enough away to dislodge Shay's hand. “I just—”

The words died on his tongue. He had expressed it once before to Lance. Lance had taken it all in stride but Hunk knew he didn't share the sentiment which made it hard for him to relate. Still, he appreciated the way Lance had been there for him and continued to check in on him since.

“You can tell me.” Shay pulled a stool up, seating herself on it to indicate that she was willing to listen to anything Hunk had to say.

That cracked Hunk, breaking him wide open. The fear from earlier spilled out of him, dragging some of his darkest truths with it. “I know I'm a paladin of Voltron and that I'm a part of this final battle. I get that. And of course I'm going to follow through and see it til the end. But, after that—” he hesitated with the words on the tip of his tongue. Sensing his worry, Shay placed one of her hands gently on top of his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.” After that, I'll be happy to put down my bayard and helmet and never look back. Don't get me wrong, I love my team. They're family to me and they're stuck with me forever. But I want to spend time with them in situations that don't involve death looming ominously over us, you know?”

He paused then to look at Shay, almost surprised at how soft her expression was. It occurred to him then that Shay had never known a life without death hanging just in the distance, a constant and unavoidable threat. A strong pang swept through him at the thought. If anyone deserved a life of happiness and adventure, it was Shay. She had sacrificed herself to help them, put her life on the line for people she had only just met and a cause she'd only heard about in whispers. That was beyond admirable and Hunk just wanted her to have everything she deserved. It was Shay and the people like her that gave Hunk the will and courage to fight. He was fighting on their behalf, to give them the kind of life they deserved.

“There's nothing wrong with that.” She said evenly, her eyes finding his. “Once this war is over, you will have done your duty. If you want to put down your helmet then, you should. You have already served the universe greatly and we are all thankful for you.”

“Well, _I_ didn't really do anything.” Hunk glanced away, feeling overwhelmed by her kindness. “That was all Voltron and I'm just a tiny part of that. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why the yellow lion even picked me. I'm not that remarkable and I'm always scared.”

“That's what makes you so brave. You came back for me, Hunk, even though you were terrified. You came back and risked your life and showed me things I never thought— never even _dreamed_ that I'd see. You could've left me to continue the life I'd always known, but you didn't. That was you, Hunk. Not Voltron.”

Hunk flipped his hand over then, wrapping it around Shay's and squeezing tight. “Of course I came back for you. I'll always come back for you.”

“That's why the yellow lion picked you.” She said and Hunk didn't fail to notice the flush on her cheeks. “Because you are compassionate and you are strong. You put others above yourself. You are the most admirable person I've ever met. And when this war is over and you come out victorious, you will be able to lead whatever kind of life you want.”

Their eyes met again, hands still interlocked, and Hunk couldn't stop the emotions that were overwhelming him. He'd been terrified earlier in the day— terrified of the monster, of losing his life, of losing his closest friends— and he'd been carrying that weight around with him all day, letting it drag him down. And then Shay had appeared and, just like the sun, she had shed light on all of his doubts and made them seem less severe. He pulled up his own stool then, letting himself sink down onto it and giving his shaking knees a break.

“I want to own my own restaurant. To have a big family. I want to be happy and to make people happy.” Hunk could feel an ache in his chest at his own words. That had always been his dream life. And to think, he was finally close to being able to achieve it. The ache in his chest turned into more of a longing and he let out a long breath.

“I so hope I get to see you achieve all of those things.” Shay said.

Without thinking, Hunk responded. “I hope you're a part of them.”

Immediately he flushed a million shades of red. But, instead of being startled or put off, Shay squeezed his hand again with a warm smile. “I hope so, too.”

* * *

 

Honerva stood on the steps of the grandest building on the planet, a mass of Alteans waiting at the bottom to hear her speak. She regarded them, scrutinizing them as she looked from face to face. It was now or never. Her son had already done the hardest part— he had won their hearts. All that was left was to use that weakness against them.

“It was Lotor,” She began with no preamble, not even bothering to wait for silence. A hush fell as soon as she began. “who sought each of you out. It was Lotor who gave you a home. It was Lotor who protected you and provided for you.” a smattering of cheers and applause rippled through the crowd as she spoke. “And it was Voltron who took that away from you! It was Voltron who took _Lotor_ away from you!”

She paused, allowing her words to sink in. An angry murmur spread from one end of the crowd to the next, growing angrier as it went. She watched the faces of the Alteans as they reacted to her words, watched them contort with hatred and the desire for revenge. It was exactly as she wanted it to be.

“I have a way to bring Lotor back, to reunite us with them.” She threw her arms out wide, implying that she would be sharing Lotor with them, even if that wasn't even close to her intent. “But before I can do that, we must rid the universe of Voltron. Lotor isn't safe as long as Voltron is still out there. _We_ aren't safe.”

With a quick flick of her wrists, two robeasts appeared, one flanking either side of the crowd. The Alteans gasped at the appearance of them but did not shirk away from them. It only encouraged Honerva further.

“With these, we can defeat Voltron. Only then will it be safe to bring my son back. Are you with me?”

The Alteans cheered uproariously, hooting and hollering and clapping each other on the shoulder as if they had already won. Honerva looked on, pleased with their cooperation and knowing this only made things easier for her in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone know I could write soft scenes for ships other than Klance? Surprising, I know!!!
> 
> Please come visit me on [tumblr](https://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com/) and yell at me! Tell me what you thought of this chapter, ask questions, let me know if there's something you want me to add. I seriously live to hear from you guys and it makes me so, so happy. So please feel free to come find me!
> 
> Also you can find my writing Instagram [here](https://www.instagram.com/klance_writing/). It has snipets of works I've never announced as well as a few funny outtakes from the writing of this chapter. I typically update it at least once a day between chapters so you can see glimpses of what I'm working on as I go. So consider giving it a follow :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest with you guys, I was really dreading this chapter. I thought it was going to be hard and parts of it were, but it ended up being better than I expected. I absolutely could not do this without my love, Kait, who listens to me scream about this fic non stop and is there for me to help me figure out every plot device I'm struggling with. She is truly an angel and without her I would not have this fic as far along as it is.
> 
> (Also, we broke 30k with this chapter!!!)

It had been a few days since the incident with the monster on the Galra ship and those days had been the longest, most boring days Keith had experienced in awhile. Even when he was stuck in the quantum abyss with his mom, the hours were broken up by the warping of space and time, showing his glimpses into both the past and the future. The past few days, however, were just the five of them floating aimlessly through space in their lions, fruitlessly searching for any hint that could help them win this war. 

The intel they had gathered from the Galra ship, once eventually decoded by Pidge, had given them reason to believe there would be a robeast in this galaxy. Unfortunately for them, it was no more specific than that, leaving them to wander around aimlessly, hopping from planet to planet and just  _ hoping _ something would turn up. It wasn’t exactly surprising that nothing had turned up. Keith had done his best to keep the team morale high, but he could feel his own waning, making it harder for him to keep lifting them up, too. 

“I can’t believe we’ve searched 3 star systems in the last 11 days,” Hunk murmured, his voice suddenly coming through the coms and jolting Keith slightly more awake.

“Actually,” It was Pidge next, her voice sounding incredibly exhausted. “It’s 11 star systems in 3 days.”

“What?” Hunk sounded confused before letting out a heavy sigh. “I am so tired I can’t even…”

“Do math?” Lance offered suddenly.

“Think,” Hunk finished instead.

Keith adjusted in his seat, stretching his legs out before him. Kosmo was curled up on the ground next to him, tucked neatly into a little ball. Keith smiled down gently at him, thankful to at least have his companionship these last few days. It was one thing to have the others easily accessible on the other end of the communication channels, it was another to have Kosmo literally within arms reach at all times. It was nice to sometimes have Kosmo hop up into his lap, bumping his nose clumsily against Keith’s chest as he vied for attention. 

“Pidge,” Lance’s voice rang through the coms again and Keith sat up at little straighter upon hearing it, his attention focused. “Why can’t you and Hunk just make a robeast… tracker… thing? Just do some math and some science stuff. You know, like you guys always do. And then just… put the components together and, boom! Done!”

“If we had the ability to make a robeast tracker, don’t you think we would’ve done it by now?” Pidge replied. Her voice was terse, but there was an undertone of affection there that Keith had learned to recognize. He knew Lance exasperated her a lot with his lack of understanding  _ anything _ she said, but she loved him for it and it was clear.

“Well, I don’t know how that sort of thing works,” Lance whined.

“Clearly,” Hunk replied and then laughed when Lance made an indignant noise.

Keith didn’t even try to stifle the smile that came to his lips listening to his team bicker with each other. It was a refreshing break from the neverending darkness and silence that had been surrounding them for the past few days. Over the years they had been together as a team, their bickering had turned from genuine arguments into the sort of good-natured playful bickering that was indicative of a family. And that’s what they had become; a family. 

Allura was the next to speak, a sudden somber voice amongst the laughter, bringing the mood down slightly and reminding them  _ why _ they were doing what they were doing. “I think we should go to the Altean Colony.” 

“Kolivan said that the colony didn’t even exist anymore.” Pidge tried.

Finally, Keith cut in, “Going to the colony would involve going through the quantum abyss and we are  _ not _ doing that. Traveling through that abyss was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life.”

“Yes, but—” Allura attempted.

Lance cut in, surprisingly. “Keith’s right. One misstep in that abyss could turn our journey into a ten year voyage and by then the war would be over and we’d have lost.”

“The creatures, the environment,  _ everything _ in there wants you dead.” Keith continued. “We can’t afford to be dead.”

The last words stung as he said them, drawing his mind back to the time he had spent in the abyss with his mom and Kosmo. For two years he witnessed time and space unraveling before him, granting him glimpses into the past and future. The things he saw had haunted him for those two years and some of them continued to haunt him. They had started out benign, more geared towards Krolia than him. He remembered watching her history— her meeting his dad, the day of his birth and her departure. After watching them, he had felt like a hole in his heart had been filled. Seeing that part of the past had answered so many questions he had never expected to get an answer to. Suddenly, he was no longer a boy that was unloved and abandoned by his mother. Instead, he was a boy who was loved  _ so much _ by his mother that she had left him behind in order to protect him. It had still been a little tenuous as he got to know her, but for the first time he had been open to it and willing to let his mind be changed.

After that, the visions had shifted. Instead, they focused more on his past. A part of him wondered if they were trying to bridge the gap between him and Krolia, to show her the parts of his life she’d missed. He got to relive some of his favorite and least favorite memories. It was bittersweet to see his dad again, carrying baby Keith around on his shoulders, laughing at the silly things he did and curling up around him in bed at night. He remembered looking at Krolia after one of them to see her covering her mouth with tears in her eyes. She’d reached for him then, squeezing his hand in hers and trying to regain her composure.

He remembered one particular memory that had surfaced— thought about it all the time. It had been the first one to really spur him to open up to her and fill her in on the things from his past. But, more than that, it was a memory he looked back on now fondly. It was a memory that showed how far things in his life had come.

_ The flight simulators were all lined up in a row, each with one of the Galaxy Garrison cadets seated inside, hands on their fake controls. They were running a simulation— a race, actually, to test their maneuvering ability. Keith was by far and away in the lead, flying through the asteroid belt like it was nothing. After a moment, his fighter cleared the belt and came out the other side, solidifying his spot as the winner. _

_ The simulation ended then, the screen going black. Keith stretched back in his chair, his uniform too big on his scraggly body. He spun around in his chair only to find a young Lance staring at him, the sleeves of his uniform too short for his awkwardly growing body. _

_ He pointed an accusing finger at Keith, “I’ve got my eye on you.” _

_ “Oh yeah?” Keith asked, leaning forward in his seat. “That couldn’t have lasted for long. I left you in the dust in the very beginning.” _

_ Lance scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and really highlighting how short his sleeves were. “I wouldn’t get too comfortable in first place,” He said, “It’ll be mine pretty soon.” _

_ The flashback faded then, the bright light of time and space disappearing into the inky darkness that typically surrounded them. Keith and Krolia were situated in their little cave, puppy Kosmo curled up next to the fire. Keith didn’t immediately look up, but he could feel Krolia’s gaze on him. _

_ “Who was that boy?” She asked, and there was a hint of motherly concern in her voice. _

_ Keith smiled faintly, “That’s Lance. You’ll get to meet him soon, actually. He’s the Paladin of the Red lion now.” _

_ “Lance,” Krolia repeated to herself. “Did he ever take your spot as first?” _

_ “No,” Keith laughed lightly then, finally glancing up to meet her eyes. “But I wasn’t around for too much longer after that. I got kicked out for bad behavior. But, I think…” his voice trailed off slightly. He considered whether or not to say what he was thinking, finally deciding to just give it a shot. “I think he would’ve beaten me eventually. He’s really come a long way.” _

_ There was a knowing smile curling at the corners of Krolia’s lips as she searched his expression for something. Her voice was soft as she asked, “What is he to you?” _

_ “He’s…” Keith hesitated, “He’s my best friend, I guess.” _

_ “That’s it?” She prompted. _

_ “And my right hand man.” Keith added. _

_ “And?” Krolia tried again, but Keith just shook his head and turned his gaze away, settling it on puppy Kosmo. She let the subject drop, knowing that it would be something she could address with him in the future, when they knew each other better. “Tell me about the rest of your team.” She said instead. _

_ And so Keith did. He talked about all the members of his team until the fire was burning low in front of them, barely bright enough to cast any shadows. _

Kosmo nudged Keith with his nose, drawing Keith back to the present and reminding him of what he’d just said. “Everything except you,” He amended, stroking a hand along Kosmo’s soft head. The wolf leaned up to lick his cheek once and Keith laughed quietly.

“I’m tired of hearing what we  _ can’t _ do and what we  _ don’t _ know,” Allura was saying, indicating to Keith that the conversation had continued on, despite him temporarily zoning out. “The Alteans were  _ my _ people—”

“Allura, listen—” Lance cut in.

But Allura was not about to listen or to be silenced. “—We need to do  _ something. _ ”

“Allura,” Lance tried again.

She continued to talk over him, “We can’t just keep floating around here, looking aimless through this star system, and the next, and the next.”

Silence followed her words then and Keith could practically feel the ill energy rolling off of Lance. He glanced at the Red lion which was, true to form, flying directly to his right. He could faintly make out Lance inside, in his blue armor, head thrown back over his chair in what looked like exasperation. 

“Allura,” Keith began once the silence had stretched on for a few moments and he was sure that she wasn’t about to continue. “I understand the Alteans were your people and you want to help them. I want to help them, too. But they’re not the only people in the universe and they’re certainly not the only people affected by this war. Going to the colony would be dangerous and stupid and would jeopardize our ability to help the entire universe, the Alteans included. We can’t risk that, Allura. We can’t.”

“Keith is right,” Hunk said, “Why don’t we try this? Olkarion is in this star system. We can stop there, regroup and see if they know anything. We can make a plan once we’re there.”

“I think that’s a great idea.” Keith said and Kosmo chirped at his feet, likely anxious to get out and stretch his legs.

“I agree.” Lance chimed in.

“I suppose,” Allura was quiet, but Keith could still hear her words. “That going to Olkarion makes the most sense.”

As stubborn as Allura could be, Keith admired her. She was constantly striving to do what was right and was better than him about putting her personal feelings aside. When he got hot headed, it was very difficult to talk him down off the ledge and into a more reasonable train of thought. Allura, on the other hand, was always willing to see reason and to listen to what the others had to say as long as they could explain their side. He wished he could be more like her.

“Plus, if we don’t get out of these lions soon, I’m going to die.” Lance remarked.

A pang swept through Keith’s gut at those words. His time in the quantum abyss came back to him in a rush and the other memory that haunted him flooded his mind, grabbing him by the ankles and dragging him to the deep, dark depths of the despair that came along with it.

_ Keith was all the way on the other side of the open expanse of land, his bayard blade in front of him, deflecting another blade. Something in him was screaming to look to his right so he did, just in time to see Lance drop to the ground. Keith thrust his blade forward, throwing his attacker off of him. He turned, then, dashing across the flat land to get to Lance. He watched as Lance was kicked, his bayard flying out of his hand. Keith pushed himself harder, sprinting faster than he’d ever run in his life. _

_ “Lance!” He screamed, the name tearing at his throat as he tried to push himself even faster. _

_ Lance turned to glance at him for a brief second before he was pinned to the ground, Lotor hovering over him, a blade pressed against his throat. Keith yanked his helmet off, throwing it to the side, his eyes focused on the blade. He got closer, closer, closer still and yet it was never close enough. Even from a distance he could see the thin trail of blood dribbling down the side of Lance’s neck. Lotor looked up then, met Keith’s eyes with a wicked grin and— _

A shudder wracked through Keith’s body. The vision had ended then, never allowing him to see what happened next and he was grateful. It wasn’t hard to imagine how that was ending, and the thought gnawed away at him on the inside. He still saw that moment in his dreams and woke up drenched in a cold sweat, his heart thundering wildly in his chest and the guilt of not making it in time sitting like a weight in the pit of his stomach.

He and Krolia had seen a lot of things in the abyss— Shiro standing at the helm of the Atlas, Hunk’s reunion with his family, Pidge working alongside the Olkari People and Allura standing tall and proud in front of a crowd of people. He saw Lance reach for Allura and Allura reach for Lotor. He witnessed Hunk in the kitchen in the middle of the night and Pidge asleep on one of the desks, her latest creation half assembled in front of her. The glimpses had been a comfort to him while he was gone, it made him feel like he wasn’t missing out as much. It made him feel like his friends were still there with him.

The only problem with the glimpses was that it was hard to tell if they were past or present. He had no way of knowing if most of the things had already happened, with one exception— Lance’s death. He had known from the beginning that it hadn’t happened yet because he was clearly there the moment it occured. He was set to witness it and he hadn’t yet, which meant that his death was a dark cloud looming over Keith, leaving him constantly on edge. In some cases it gave him peace— when Lance jetted off into some reckless task Keith didn’t have to worry as much because he knew that Lance would make it out the other side. But on the other hand, it cut away at him a little more every day, making him long for a way to postpone the final battle indefinitely. It was clear that Lance’s death was somewhere in this final arc of their fight and that made Keith consider hiding Lance away on a meteorite somewhere without his lion until the battle was over.

There was nothing that declared that the future couldn’t be changed, Keith thought, but he knew it didn’t matter. Lance would want to die for the cause, would willingly give his life to protect anyone on his team. Keith knew that telling Lance would only encourage him further, setting his fate. Instead he had vowed to himself to just stay close to Lance, to never allow that much distance between them to be covered. The moment Lotor appeared, Keith was going to be glued to Lance’s side and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. Keith cared about saving the universe, but he cared about saving Lance even more, even if he’d never admit it out loud.

“So are we agreed then?” Hunk asked through the coms. Keith faintly heard it in his daze, not quite registering what was going on. The edges of the vision were still curled around him like dark tendrils, piercing his skin and reaching down, down, down, trying to settle into his bones so he carried that fear with him everywhere. “We’re headed to Olkarion?”

Everyone confirmed and Keith shook his head, trying to dispel the fogginess that was floating around inside his head, shrouding his brain and making it harder for him to think. 

“Oh man! I bet they have so much cool new technology!” PIdge gushed, the excitement clear in her voice. “If they have figured out how to unravel the space-time continuum, the possibilities and implications of that are  _ endless _ .”

“Yeah,” Lance said, “I think I only understood, like, three of those words.”

“Three seems a little high for you,” Keith chimed in suddenly, the sound of Lance’s voice— alive, well and bemused— drawing him back from his haze. 

“Nobody asked for your input, Keith.” Lance retorted and Pidge and Hunk could be heard laughing in the background.

Keith wanted to laugh with them, to let the sunshine that was the happiness of his team push away the dark cloud over his head, but he seemed incapable of shaking it. He’d tried, daily, for the years since he’d first seen the vision, but it stayed, stubbornly, as if it were attached to him permanently. He wondered how much darker it would get if it came true. 

Desperate to shake the sinking feeling filling his gut, Keith changed the subject and gave himself something else to think about. “If we’re going to make it to Olkarion, there’s only one way for us to do it.”

He didn’t even need to finish the thought, he could already feel the pull on his heart. He could feel the string connecting him to the other Paladins and the way they responded in kind. Without any hesitation, Keith pulled his controls back, directing Black upwards and the others fell in sync with him without anything else being said. Once they were lined up and the invisible string connecting them felt taut, Keith let go of the controls and let Black do his thing on his own. The other Paladins followed suit— Keith could feel it even if he couldn’t see it— and immediately the lions began to shift, changing and twisting until they fit together perfectly, forming Voltron.

They took a moment to steady themselves, Voltron standing tall and menacing in space. Keith could feel the warm hum in the depths of his soul, telling him that he was a part of something bigger and no longer alone. It was a comforting feeling, the way it filled in all his cracks and held him back together. 

“Okay, ready?” He said once everyone was situated.

Once again, he didn’t need to further explain himself. The connection between all of them allowed things to go unspoken and yet completely understood. Keith held his arm out to the side, summoning his bayard to his hand just as the slot opened next to him. He could feel Lance doing the same thing, could feel his movements echoing in his soul. There was a comfort there with the way Lance’s presence fit inside Keith like a missing puzzle piece. Keith never wanted to lose this feeling, never wanted to know what it was like to not have a piece of Lance tucked away in his heart,  warming him even on the coldest of days. As he slammed his bayard into the slot and twisted, he tried to keep his heart under control, afraid that Lance would somehow be able to feel it. 

The wings formed on Voltron’s back instantaneously and Keith took a deep breath, “Thrusters on!”

As the thrusters kicked on, Keith could feel it humming in his chest. He glanced to his right, as if he could see Lance sitting there. Somehow, though he’d never be able to explain how, he felt like Lance was looking at him at that exact same moment, feeling the same sort of magic flowing through his veins. 

****

* * *

****

As Voltron soared through space at a speed Lance almost couldn’t even comprehend, he tried to settle himself back into his seat and get himself back on track. He could feel Keith’s heart beating in his chest, alongside his own, and it was a comforting feeling. Things in his life had been strange lately and being nearly stranded in space had only made it worse. He had been left alone with his thoughts while the others were quiet and they had been agonizing to him. His thoughts had raced in circles, dragging him along behind them and leaving him feeling battered and bruised, even if there was no physical evidence of it. Feeling the connection with Keith as they formed the wings was the first time in three days that he had felt even a little bit like himself.

“Woah, guys hang on!” Pidge called suddenly, frantically. 

Lance could feel Keith jump to action, feel the way his heart rate spiked in his chest as he reached for the controls and yanked them back, pulling Voltron to a quick halt. “What is it?”

“There’s something huge headed towards us,” Pidge said. “And it’s coming fast!”

Everyone acted immediately, moving without needing any sort of instruction. Lance remembered when they were just starting out and unable to form Voltron at all. Now they moved in perfect sync, always able to predict what the rest of their team was doing. It was incredible to think of how far they’d come. Lance smiled to himself as the wings disappeared off of Voltron’s back and the shield took its place, protecting them from the front.

“What is it?” Lance asked, scanning the horizon for some sort of movement.

Pidge had uploaded the data to the collective server of Voltron so Lance and the others could see what she saw but it didn’t mean anything to him. Faintly through the channels he could hear Pidge clicking away on her screen, no doubt crunching some sort of data to get a better idea of what was going on. Before she had a chance to finish and figure it out, one of the asteroids in front of them shifted, revealing what looked like a giant worm in front of them.

“Woah!” Lance yelled, jumping in his seat. “What is that thing?”

“Oh!” Hunk cried, sounding genuinely excited. “It’s a Weblum! We’ve been inside one of those, Keith, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Came Keith’s flat reply.

The worm— or Weblum, as Hunk called it— opened its massive mouth suddenly, a blue light beginning to glow from within.

“Uh, guys?” Lance said, an unsettling feeling filling him, “What is it doing?”

“Oh, that’s right! What was it Coran said? ‘If you don’t wanna be killed, stay away from its gills’?” Hunk mused. There was a wonder in his voice and Lance could just picture him, hand stroking his chin as he glanced up and to the left in thought. It was such a typical Hunk pose.

“That’s not the rhyme!” Keith cried, sounding exasperated. It brought a smile to Lance’s face. “It’s ‘If you don’t wanna be dead, avoid its head’.”

“It doesn’t matter  _ what _ the rhyme is,” Lance cried suddenly, “Because it’s about to shoot us with a laser beam either way!”

Voltron tipped to the side suddenly, zipping out of the way of the attack at the very last second. The laser was bright as it passed by in front of them, hitting an asteroid and absolutely shattering it to tiny pieces. Lance swallowed, thankful that it was an asteroid and not them that had just gotten obliterated. The Weblum continued past them, suddenly entirely uninterested in them as it went. Lance let out a sigh of relief as it continued on and he was able to loosen the white-knuckle grip he had on his controls. 

“Where is it heading?” Keith asked after everyone was sure that the Weblum had completely moved on from them.

There was a tapping echoing through the coms and the data on Lance’s screen was changing as Pidge was calculating stuff. After a moment, coordinates appeared on the screen, locking onto one location and then zooming it. Lance realized what it was exactly as Pidge said it out loud. “Olkarion.”

Immediately the panic spiked back inside Lance’s chest and he could feel the imaginary string that connected all of them be pulled taut, the stress weighing on them all. 

“I thought Weblums only ate dead planets,” Allura mused out loud.

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith replied, turning Voltron around to face the direction of Olkarion. “It’s going to be dead if we don’t get there soon. Let’s go!”

And just like that, Voltron took off again. All of his life, Lance had wanted to be a pilot and to see the stars. He had always imagined it with a cool sense of wonder, thinking of all the amazing new sights and experiences he’d get. He’d never expected it to involve this much risk, however. He’d never thought that when he finally made it to space— because he had always known that some day, somehow, he  _ would _ make it to space— it’d be in the middle of an intergalactic war in which he would suddenly be a key component. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to wish things had gone any differently.

Not even when he was saying goodbye to his family, prying his niece and nephew off of him, would he change the way his life had gone. Whatever had happened to lead him here, in this exact moment, surrounded by people he didn’t even consider friends any more because they were family at this point, was exactly what he’d needed in his life. He was going to see this war through one way or another.

Just as suddenly as they had taken off, they stopped and before Lance even had a chance to register it, they had split into their individual lions. He reached forwards to grab his own controls, steering himself towards the planet in front of him and immediately missing the feeling of that second heartbeat in his chest.

“What… happened here?” Lance said as his eyes focused on the planet in front of him, only to realize that it was just a hollow shell of the planet it had been.

He remembered their previous trip to Olkarion and the way they had found the people deep in the woods. He remembered the planet being beautiful, elegant and absolutely full of life. Now, however, as they hovered above it, slowly lowering towards the ground, it looked the exact opposite. The trees were black and charred in appearance, as if they had been burned; the leaves were completely gone and the trunks and branches were practically collapsing in on themselves, leaning towards the ground. The earth, in some places, looked so thin that Lance wondered if it would buckle under their feet as they walked along it.

Carefully they maneuvered through the skeletons of the trees, landing gently on the ground just inside the city. Lance suddenly understood why the Weblum was coming for Olkarion and the realization made his heart sink. He climbed down from his lion to meet the others on the shattered stone that used to be the entrance to the city. They all took a moment to look around them, letting the weight of the situation settle on them. Immediately Lance turned his eyes to Pidge, watching her try and stand tall under the undoubtedly extreme emotions she was feeling.

“Paladins,” Keith addressed them all from the head of the group. His eyes, too, lingered on Pidge for an extra moment. “I know this is a difficult moment but we need to get to work. That Weblum is headed our way so time is short. Our top priority is search and rescue. If there are survivors, we need to find them and we need to get them to safety. After that, we find out what happened here.”

Lance considered approaching Pidge but Allura beat him to it, placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her away from the town and into what used to be the woods. Keith headed back towards Black, climbing back up into him and taking off, hovering just above the town and searching that way. With a sigh, Lance took off in one direction on foot while Hunk took off the other way. He scanned the area as he went, looking for any sign of life at all, but it looked like the planet was completely dead, all the way to the core. 

After a moment, Lance decided to voice these thoughts aloud. “It looks like the entire planet is…”

Allura finished for him on the other end of the coms, “Dead, yes. It looks like the planet was completely drained of its quintessence.”

“Which means a robeast was definitely here,” Keith said from above.

The ground was ragged and uneven underneath Lance’s feet and he had to step carefully to avoid rolling an ankle. He watched his feet as he went, feeling the presence of Black above him. Every so often he would pause to scour his surroundings for any signs of life or survivors but he never found any. Eventually he had circled his whole half of the perimeter and was headed back towards the center of town to meet up with Hunk.

“Why do you think a robeast would come here, though?” Allura said after a long time of silence.

Hearing the voice in his ear was a stark contrast to the complete silence of the planet and it nearly made Lance jump. “Maybe because it’s such a central part of the coalition?” He offered.

“Maybe,” it was Pidge and she sounded far away, as if she were drowning in memories and it was likely that she was. “But I don’t think so. I can just  _ feel _ it. There’s something more to it.”

Lance wanted to say more, to offer her something that might comfort her but he wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Until they really knew what had happened here, he was at a loss. Absorbed in that thought, he nearly walked directly past Hunk who had to reach out and snatch him by the arm. 

“I’m going to send these out,” Hunk said, holding up what looked like some small drones. “It’ll tell us how long until the Weblum is here.”

“Good idea,” Lance replied, turning to stare at the woods where Pidge and Allura had disappeared. “Then we know how long we have to search.”

****

* * *

****

The dirt was like ash, smearing across Pidge’s boots as a painful reminder of the destruction that surrounded her. She couldn’t look anywhere without seeing devastation, not even at her feet. Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she trudged along, each step echoing in the hollowness in her chest. Faintly she was aware of Allura beside her, but the companionship didn’t help much. Pidge felt like she was on her own slice of the world, separated by a giant chasm from the rest of her team. She felt as if she could scream and nobody would hear her. 

At some point, Allura had diverged and gone her own way and Pidge was left to walk alone. She continued forward, not really looking for information like she was supposed to. She felt numb as she walked, unaware of her legs underneath her or the way they carried her forward despite it all. She stopped suddenly, only registering the cliff a moment before she walked straight off of it and tumbled down below. Startled, her attention snapped back to the present and for the first time, she really looked around at where she was.

Instantly, she wished she hadn’t.

In front of her was an open expanse of land that she recognized immediately, despite the carnage. It wasn’t hard for her to see it in her mind’s eye the way it had been before— tall, proud trees full of leaves and a crowd of Olkari standing in the middle, teaching her how to connect with and control nature. She remembered that day well and thought of it often. It was one of the first times she had felt connected to one of the outside races and it had given her both excitement and a feeling of home which she so desperately needed. Pidge remembered the others struggling and Keith coming to her later that day to tell her that he was proud of and impressed by her. It was the first day she truly felt like she was carrying her weight on the team. She had learned so much from them, had so much left to learn…

“Pidge? Pidge is everything all right? I’ve been trying to talk to you for—” Allura appeared suddenly, stopping besides Pidge and searching her expression. “What is it?”

“I know this place,” Pidge replied and suddenly her entire being felt raw. She felt as if anything and everything would cause her pain. The words tasted terrible in her mouth but still, she knew she had to say them. “I remember it.”

Again, Pidge played the scene in her mind, seeing the way the forest used to look. And then, suddenly, it wasn’t just in her mind anymore. She looked on in awe as the charred trees raised up, blooming leaves and flowers, as the grass sprouted from the ground again, raising up to tickle her ankles. Pidge opened her mouth in wonder, gazing around her slowly at the forest, amazed at how majestic it once again looked.

She turned to say something to Allura but her attention was caught by two Olkari girls running through the open field below, tossing a ball between them. Their giggles floated up, reaching Pidge and wrapping around her like a comfort blanket. She watched quietly as the girls continued to run, shouting back and forth to each other and laughing, all the way until they disappeared from sight. Again, Pidge turned to Allura and by the time she had turned fully around, the forest was back to the devastated version it had been just moments before.

“What?” Pidge whispered, spinning around again, only to feel her heart sink when she saw the field below still destroyed. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Allura asked gently.

“The forest,” Pidge said in disbelief, “It was fine. And there were girls, down there! Didn’t you see them?”

“No,” Allura came to stand a step in front of Pidge, following her gaze down to the open expanse of land below.

A sound of giggles filled the air again and Pidge whipped around but there was nothing there but the dilapidated forest. “I swear I saw them.”

“Pidge,” Allura turned to face her then, placing her hands firmly on each of Pidge’s shoulders. “The Olkari people had a profound connection with this land. One, as I understand it, you also have. Perhaps… Perhaps the land is trying to tell you something.”

“Tell me something…?” Pidge echoed, looking down at the ground at her feet. 

“I think it’s showing you its history,” Allura said suddenly, her grip on Pidge’s shoulders tightening. “See if you can connect with it. See if you can… see anything.”

Obligingly, Pidge closed her eyes with a deep breath. She tried to focus on the feeling of the earth underneath her feet, to imagine that she were planting her own roots into the ground, digging deeper and deeper until she could feel the core of the planet and all of the memories associated with it. After a moment, she hit it, and a warmth rushed over her, overflowing and spilling out to the ground around her. Pidge opened her eyes and, although she could still feel Allura’s hands on her shoulders, she couldn’t  _ see _ Allura. 

The forest was alive around her again, filled with the sounds of animals scurrying in the distance. She could see wildflowers growing and vines twining their way up the trunks of trees and the sight was beautiful. Pidge turned slowly, dislodging Allura’s invisible hands as she did, to take in the entire sight. As she looked around, a loud boom sounded and a bright flash filled the sky. Immediately, Pidge directed her attention up, just in time to watch something— something familiar, something she would recognize anywhere— tumble to the ground. 

A second boom radiated from the crash site, which appeared from Pidge’s vantage point to be the city. She took off running without hesitation, assuming that Allura would fall in step behind her. As she ran, the images of the past flickered in and out. The trees went from tall and beautiful to dull and shriveled and she had to bob and weave her way through ever changing scenery in an attempt to get to the city. As she got closer, screams could be heard. Pidge broke through the last of the trees only to come to a screeching halt.

There, on the far side of town, was a robeast unfolding. It towered over the town, drawing two blades out from its body. Pidge shuddered as she watched, knowing that she wouldn’t actually be able to do anything to stop it. The beast raised its blades, slamming them into ground with a force that Pidge wasn’t even sure Voltron could rival. The ground shook, tipping and tilting underneath the feet of everyone as splinters spread out from the impact site and all through the town.

Buildings began to collapse immediately, crumbling as their foundations were destroyed. Without thinking, Pidge took off down the main street of town, skidding around a corner in order to get a better view. The robeast headed into town, each step shaking the earth under its feet. Suddenly, in front of Pidge, was Ryner, standing in front of a group of people.

“We have to evacuate the civilians,” She was saying and Pidge’s heart clenched in her chest. It was physically painful to see Ryner, knowing what the planet looked like now. “Bring our warriors to the front. We need to hold this thing off and find out what it wants.”

“What it wants?” One of the men in front of her asked.

“Well, it came here for a reason, didn’t it?” Ryner said, turning on her heel to face the beast.

The surroundings faded out and Pidge was once again staring at destruction. She stepped forward to where Ryner had just been standing, the ache spreading to the very center of her being. She needed to know more, to see what happened, but at the same time, she didn’t want to see it. She couldn’t bring herself to watch the destruction of her second favorite planet in the entire universe. 

“The robeast,” Pidge whispered, “I saw it. It was here.”

Allura leaned down over her shoulder then, “I know this is hard for you, Pidge. And I’m so, so sorry to ask this of you. I never want you to hurt but we need to see what happened.”

“Guys,” Hunk’s voice cut in over the intercoms suddenly. “Those drones I sent up just gave me back some data. The Weblum will be here in 10 minutes.”

“Everybody to your lions, then.” Keith cut in. “We need to get out of here before it gets to us.”

“No!” Pidge cried. She reached forward for Allura just because she needed something to hold on to, to ground her. Allura reached back, holding on tightly to her hands. “I need more time!”

“Pidge has connected with the land,” Allura explained, “It’s showing her what happened here. She’s seen a robeast so far and we need to find out what happened.”

“Alright,” Was Keith’s instant reply. “I’ll go head it off, see if I can buy you some time. But hurry, please.”

“I’m coming with you, buddy.” Lance chimed in.

“Me, too!” Hunk added.

Despite her broken heart, Pidge smiled as she watched the three lions take off into space, protecting and defending her and Allura. She had been lucky a lot in her life, but one of the luckiest things to ever happen to her was to find this team and get to know them. She watched the three lions until they disappeared from sight and then turned to face Allura.

“I’m going to try again,” She said with a deep sigh. “I’m going to find out what it wanted.”

Allura nodded and Pidge closed her eyes, immediately feeling the pull of the planet. It took almost no time for the memories to surface, wrapping around Pidge again. She opened her eyes to see the scene pick up right where it had left off. Ryner was standing there, directing people onto one of the nearby escape pods while the warriors ran to the front lines, ready to face off with the robeast. A bright light drew Pidge’s attention and she glanced over at the communication tower a moment before the laser shot from atop the building, hitting the robeast dead on.

The cheer Pidge was about to let out died on her lips as the robeast only stumbled a few steps before the armor along the chest opened up and it shot its own laser back, destroying the top of the communications tower. Pidge was in awe— distressed but still, secretly, impressed— at the fact that the technology was that much more advanced than that which the Olkari people possessed. Pidge tried to focus on what was happening, to not lose herself to the thoughts of how peaceful the universe could be if that technology were used for good. It was such a sad loss.

Ryner was talking into a com system, drawing Pidge’s attention back to her. The robeast was on a destruction path through the city, swinging its blades from side to side as it went, clearing a path for itself. Still, even with it coming closer with each passing second, Pidge couldn’t focus on anything other than Ryner.

“Get all that data sent to an safe house on a different planet,” She was saying. “We need to preserve it.” Her gaze was directed at the communications tower as she spoke and Pidge knew it was where she needed to go next.

****

* * *

****

“So what are we supposed to do with this thing?” Lance’s voice was frantic through the lions as he dodged yet another laser from the Weblum.

“I don’t know!” Hunk yelled back, pulling up along the Weblum’s side.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Lance pulled up, hovering above the head of the Weblum. “You guys dealt with one of these before!”

“Last time we had to travel through its stomachs,” Keith replied tersely, shooting at the Weblum. “If you want to learn how to do that, we can help you. But redirecting it is an entirely different challenge.”

“You were  _ inside its stomach? _ ” Lance cried incredulously.

Hunk slammed into the creature’s side while the two of them bickered, turning his thrusters on to full blast in an attempt to move the Weblum off course but it didn’t work. The Weblum didn’t even budge.

“What did you think Hunk meant when he said we were inside one earlier?” Keith cried.

“I don’t know!” Lance yelled in response. Through his windows, Hunk could see Lance swoop in and knock Keith out of the way of an asteroid he hadn’t noticed. “But it definitely wasn’t that you explored its stomachs!”

“Guys!” Hunk cut in. “This isn’t working!”

“Believe it or not,” Lance replied, “We noticed.”

With a sigh, Hunk tapped away on his dashboard quickly, pulling up a communication channel. He continued to press into the Weblum, watching the others bob and weave around, throwing asteroids into the path of the Weblum only for them to be eaten. The line rang and rang and rang and Hunk was just about to lose hope when—

“Hunk?”

“Coran!” Hunk cried, glancing at the screen. “Listen, we don’t have a lot of time, but I need to know how to change the course of a Weblum.”

“Change its course, you say?” Coran stroked his fingers across his beard in thought. “Well, it’s been awhile, but Alfor and I used to have our fun from time to time. We would wait until the whole kingdom was asleep—”

“Coran!” Hunk cut in. “Get to the instructions!”

“Right,” Coran replied, straightening his spine, “First you need to—” The video cut out temporarily, his screen filling with static instead. “After that— the right— if you don’t—” the video continued to cut in and out as he spoke and Hunk sighed. “ —your whole body will blow up to twice the normal size and you’ll explode!”

“Great,” Hunk replied as the line cut out completely, “That conversation took way longer than I expected and I learned absolutely nothing.”

“Guys!” Keith cried and it was clear that Pidge and Allura were now included in their communication channels. “We can’t delay this thing. You  _ need  _ to get out of there.”

****

* * *

****

Pidge and Allura stood just atop the communications tower, staring at each other, Pidge could hear the boys struggling with the Weblum through their coms but she couldn’t go back— not yet. Allura was looking at her with a question clear in her expression and Pidge nodded slightly at her.

“Go,” She said.

“Are you sure?” Allura asked. “I know this is hard for you and I don’t want you to go through it alone.”

Pidge reached out and grabbed one of Allura’s hands for the second time, giving it an squeeze. “I can do this. They need your help.”

Allura reached her other hand out and rested it gently across the top of Pidge’s helmet, leaning down so they were eye-to-eye. “I know you can. If you need me, I’m here.” She tapped briefly against the side of the helmet to indicate the com system.

Pidge nodded at her gratefully before letting go of her hands and watching her take off towards the Blue lion. Once she was gone, Pidge began scaling down the side of the building until she made it to the shattered windows. She slipped inside, carefully avoiding the shards on the ground and tucking herself into the shadows. She wasn’t sure why she did it, whatever she was about to see couldn’t affect her, and yet she felt exposed in the open areas of the room.

This time, as she hid in the corner, she didn’t even need to call forth the memories. They rose on their own, unbidden, surrounding her and then fanning out into the room. One second it was an empty, desecrated room and the next it was filled with Olkarions who were huddled over a console, tapping away furiously. 

“How did it get here?” One of them asked incredulously as he pulled up some data on the screen.

“I have no idea.” The other responded. “It just appeared.”

Pidge was struck immediately by how similarly that sounded to their encounter on Earth. The robeast had appeared out of nowhere, slipping past every defense they had set up like it was nothing. It was equal parts unnerving and comforting to see that the Olkarions had the same problem.

“Wait,” The first one said suddenly. “Pull up the data on those anomalies we’ve seen this week.”

The second one obliged, clicking away and scrolling through data. “What are you thinking?”

Outside the destruction continued, the sounds of the chaos bouncing around the relatively empty room Pidge was inside. She tried not to glance out the window, to ignore what was happening in the background and just see what information she could glean from this scene. Something about the way Ryner had mentioned the communications tower had struck a chord in Pidge, leaving her with a feeling she couldn’t shake. There was something important happening in front of her and she had to make sure she found out what. It was the least she could do. If the Olkarions were going to be sacrifices in the war, Pidge was going to make sure their sacrifices were worth it. 

“That’s it!” The first one moved to lean over the shoulder of the second one, pointing to something on the screen. “I don’t know how we didn’t see it before! Those anomalies— it’s warps of time and space! This thing traveled in by a wormhole.”

A loud crash sounded outside and the entire building shook. The Olkari people in the room rushed to finish sending the data while Pidge rushed to the window. Down below she could see Ryner, could see her hugging a small girl to her chest. Pidge jumped then, through the window that, in her version of the world, was broken. She fell towards the ground, her eyes fixed on Ryner the entire time. Somewhere along the way her boosters kicked in, keeping her from colliding full force with the ground. As soon as her feet hit, she took off.

She knew Ryner couldn’t hear her, that she didn’t know Pidge was there witnessing her encounter with the little girl but she couldn’t help herself. “Ryner, please!”

“I’m scared,” The little girl was saying in Ryner’s arms. 

“Don’t be,” Ryner said, crouching down to her level. Her next words stopped Pidge in her tracks. “The Olkarion have always been good with change. Afterall, the old must give way to the new, that’s the order of the universe.”

Pidge turned as she listened, watching the robeast take off from the planet. There was a beam coming from the robeast and, as it continued to climb in altitude, she was able to see the cubes trapped within the beam. The pods next to Pidge took off suddenly and she looked back to see the child no longer with Ryner. Instead it was just Ryner, staring directly where Pidge was standing. Pidge reached a hand out towards her.

Her fingers inched closer, closer, closer… right before she touched Ryner, a bright pink light filled the sky. Pidge closed her eyes against it, knowing it was the quintessence draining beam that Honerva was known for. When she opened her eyes again, Ryner was gone. With a deep breath, Pidge called the Green lion to her and took off to join the rest of her team with new information that could change everything and a heavy, broken heart.

She watched, tears quietly slipping down her cheeks as the Weblum approached, shattering the planet to pieces with a laser. She finally turned away as the Weblum went through, eating the pieces of the planet that were in its path.

“You know, the Weblum eating the planet is just the first step in the formation of new star systems.” Hunk said.

The thought gave Pidge some comfort. She’d always feel a gaping hole in her chest, she thought, but Ryner’s words jumped to her mind immediately, dulling the ache a little bit. “The old makes way for the new.”

****

* * *

 

Veronica didn’t often venture down to the training room on the Atlas but she had seen Acxa head down there earlier and had been thinking about it ever since. The poor girl had been treated like an outcast since the day she had shown up with the Paladins and Veronica wasn’t about to have that. In their limited interactions she was able to tell that Acxa was incredibly nice and had just been doing what she needed to in order to survive. Nobody could honestly fault her for that. 

“Keeping your tabs on me?” Acxa asked the moment the door opened.

She was standing in the middle of the room, a blade in one hand and sweat dripping down her forehead. The piece of her bangs that typically fell into her face were tucked behind one of her ears, leaving her eyes more visible than usual. Even from this distance, Veronica was struck by how strikingly beautiful her eyes were. 

“No,” Veronica stepped into the room confidently. “Not like that, anyways, I was just wondering if you needed a sparring partner.”

“You’re just trying to size me up.” Acxa responded, turning away.

“Listen, if you don’t want a sparring partner, just say so. I have no ulterior motive here, okay? I just want to get to know you. I wasn’t aware that was a crime.” Veronica turned towards the door, her hand hovering over the button to open it.

She could hear Acxa shift behind her, could hear the breath she took in and then let out slowly. “And I’m supposed to believe you trust me?”

“Yes.” Veronica replied bluntly.

Acxa challenged her. “And why would you do that?”

“Because Keith trusts you,” Veronica turned around to face her directly. 

“You barely know Keith.” Acxa replied, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“My brother knows and trusts him.” Veronica said. She leaned her shoulder into the wall, putting her weight into it and crossing her own arms over her chest. “And if my brother trusts him, I do too.”

“And what if Keith is wrong to trust me?” 

Veronica didn’t even blink. “Then I guess we’ll deal with that if it happens. But I don’t think it’s going to.”

Acxa was looking at her with an expression that was a mixture of wariness and curiosity. Veronica had been trying to get up the nerve to talk to her for a long time but hadn’t because she was afraid it was going to go terrible. This wasn’t going  _ well _ but it was bound to be awkward the first time so, as far as that went, Veronica considered this a win.

“You don’t know anything about me.” Acxa said after a pause, her expression turning more towards wonder.

“You’re right,” Veronica replied. “And I’m trying to change that. And I think you’ll find I’m very determined.” When Acxa offered her an eye roll but no real response, she added “So, do you need a sparring partner or no?”

With a wicked smile, Acxa took a step back, gesturing for Veronica to join her in the middle of the room. She was much better with guns than hand-to-hand combat but their friendship had to start somewhere and if that meant getting beaten up a few times, well, she could live with that.

****

* * *

****

Honvera was standing at the top of the steps that lead to the grandest building on the planet. It was the building she had turned into her home. Her hands were outstretched to either side, her eyes closed in concentration as she held open a wormhole. She could feel the robeast like a pressure inside her mind as it pushed through the wormhole, appearing on the other side with the cubes in tow. 

There was a surge of excitement that flowed through Honerva at the sight of the cubes. She had heard many rumors about them— that they were indestructible, that they could weather any normal attack with no struggle and, most importantly, that they could reform when split apart. The technology fascinated her and the implications were endless. She could think of so many ways to enhance the robeasts if she could just understand  _ how _ they had done it. 

If she were being honest, she wasn’t expecting to be able to get the cubes. She had expected the Olkari to have it better guarded. But her suspicions had proven correct— they wouldn’t be able to see her coming if she used a wormhole. This knowledge alone gave her a huge upper hand on her opponents and now she had the cubes in her possession? She suppressed a smile as the realization that she was nearly unstoppable dawned on her. She  _ was _ going to be reunited with her son and they  _ were _ going to rule the universe together. She was going to get the life she had been robbed of. 

The robeast landed smoothly and Honerva released the pedestals next to her, closing the wormhole and successfully locking them away safely. She turned in time to see the robeast open and to watch Cova jump down, her long hair blowing in her face. She reached up to tuck a piece of it behind her ear as she approached Honerva, stopping in front of her to drop to one knee.

“The mission was successful,” She said, bowing her head.

“I see you retrieved the cubes.” Honerva was looking over Cova’s shoulder at the beast and the four cubes stacked at its side. “Did you have any difficulty?”

“None at all, empress.” Cova straightened up then, her eyes seeking out Honerva’s. “I also drained the planet of its quintessence as I left.”

This surprised Honerva, who snapped her gaze back to Cova. “I didn’t ask that of you.”

“I know,” Cova replied, but she didn’t sound worried about going over Honerva’s head. If anything, she looked pleased with herself. “But I knew it would be helpful to you.”

There was a moment of silence while Honerva inspected the girl in front of her. After that moment, a wicked smile stretched across her face as she extended a hand. “You have a lot of potential, don’t you?”

Cova smiled back as she reached out and took the hand that was extended to her, letting Honvera lead her inside to discuss her plans.

****

* * *

 

“Hey, Pidge?” Keith approached Pidge slowly.

Every since they had returned from the mission, Pidge had been very downtrodden. He understood, of course. He remembered being there when Pidge had first connected with the Olkari people. He had watched her grow from her experiences with them and had seen the way they had influenced her. Pidge had really grown into her own after meeting with them and learning from them and he could only imagine the kind of aching she was feeling at the loss of them. She had spent the rest of the evening tinkering with someone, refusing help from anyone. Keith wasn’t even sure what it was she had splayed out in bits and pieces in front of her.

“Hm?” She barely even glanced up from her work at him.

“I just wanted to tell you…” He paused. He’d never been good with feelings. It wasn’t that he didn’t have them, because he did, it was more that he didn’t express them often which made it harder for him whenever he tried to. “That I’m really sorry. I know you must be hurting and I just— I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do—”

To his surprise, Pidge did look up then, dropping the screwdriver she’d been holding to the table. Her eyes were watery and her voice was choked as she spoke. “I just can’t believe it. They’re the smartest people in the universe and even  _ they _ couldn’t stop her.”

“Hey, hey,” Keith took a seat next to her, throwing one leg on either side of the bench so he could face her. “We  _ are _ going to beat her. You gave us a huge piece of the puzzle and took away her biggest edge, Pidge. We’re so much closer to winning because of you.”

She bowed her head then and Keith, for lack of a better idea of what to do, reached out to grip her shoulder. “I should’ve been there to help them.”

“You can’t think like that,” It was Lance, surprising them both. “There was no way you could’ve known. You were doing everything you could— everything you were  _ supposed _ to be doing.”

“Lance is right,” Keith said, leaning forward so he could see Pidge’s eyes. “Don’t let that guilt eat away at you. I know what it’s like. I felt that way for two years while I was trapped in the quantum abyss. But there was nothing I could have done and I don’t think any of you blame me for that.”

“I certainly do,” Lance said, but he smiled at Keith over Pidge’s head to indicate he was kidding.

Pidge let out a weak laugh and looked up at him. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” He answered honestly. “I missed everyone while I was gone and I counted down the days, hoping that each day would finally bring me back to you guys, but I don’t regret it. I can’t imagine my life having gone any differently.”

“I don’t think Ryner would regret the way things ended, either.” Lance said, crouching down next to Pidge.

With a deep breath, Pidge looked over at him. “I know she wouldn’t.”

“So mourn as much as you need to mourn,” Keith jumped in, glancing back at Lance as he spoke. “And let yourself feel these feelings. But know that we’re here to pick you back up and, when you’re ready, you’re going to make Ryner proud. You already make me proud.”

“You make me proud, too.” Lance added.

Pidge was glancing between the two of them with watery eyes and Keith felt love for both her and Lance swell in his chest. He loved his team, he loved the way they supported and cared for each other. That feeling stayed in him when he watched Lance stand Pidge up and wrap her up in a hug. Pidge buried her face into his chest, securing her arms tightly around his waist. Keith watched for a moment as Lance ran a hand comfortingly up and down her back.

After a moment, he stood up himself, facing the two of them. With a sigh, he murmured, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Lance barely looked up before Keith was joining the hug, wrapping one arm around Pidge’s shoulders and one around the small of Lance’s back. Pidge laughed openly, turning so that she was pressed into both him and Lance, sliding one hand off of Lance’s waist and instead placing it around Keith’s. Lance adjusted, too, moving one hand from around Pidge and settling it low on Keith’s back, fingers grazing against his hip. Keith tried to stifle a shiver as he glanced at Lance, pleased to find a small flush spreading across his cheeks.

They stayed like that until Pidge felt good enough to head to bed. She gave them each an individual hug as she left the room, leaving Lance and Keith there together.

“I’m gonna have to mark that on my calendar” Lance said once she was gone, “Keith Kogane, willingly participating in a hug.”

“If you keep acting like that, I won’t hug you again.” Keith replied.

Lance blanched, spluttering, “As if I’d ever  _ want _ you to hug me again!”

“Say that to the blush on your cheeks!” Keith called over his shoulder as he headed for the door, laughing to himself about the inhuman noises Lance made in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, a lot added to this chapter, huh? What did you guys think of the glimpses into Keith's time in the quantum abyss? Or Pidge with her big brother Paladins at the end? I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter, which surprised me. 
> 
> As always, find me on [tumblr](https://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com/) to let me know what you think! I want to hear from you guys more than anything!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I updated, but I'm here with 15k for you! We address A LOT in this chapter and the plot is officially mine now. From here on out, I'll follow canon a little but mostly this is completely mine. So I hope you guys continue to come along for the ride and enjoy!

Life on the Atlas wasn’t significantly different from life at the Garrison during the downtimes. Veronica spent time with her team, training and exploring the way she had spent every day of the last few years. For the most part, when all was calm outside, the spirits on the ship were high. She was thinking about this as she stretched out after a particularly tough training session with the captain and Curtis. Acxa had been nearby the entire time, doing her own thing, and that remained true. While the three of them chatted, the captain idly patted away at Bebe who was splayed out on her back in front of him.

   “Did you ever have a dog, Captain?” Veronica asked as she leaned forward, reaching for her toes.

   “Sure did, slobberiest dog you ever met, too. She used to follow me everywhere,” The Captain continued rubbing Bebe’s stomach as he smiled fondly at the thought. “Once she nearly killed me, though.”

   “How did that happen?” Curtis asked, sitting up straighter.

   “I tripped over her and then slipped in a puddle of her drool. Went crashing shoulder first into the ground,” He answered, and Bebe wagged her tail on the ground, earning a grin from both Veronica and Curtis. “That’s how I got this _click_.” He lifted his hand off of Bebe, moving his shoulder in a circle to demonstrate the _click_ he was mentioning. Bebe huffed at the lack of attention, wiggling until she was once again receiving belly rubs.

   “Is that why you had a hard time with your pull ups today, sir?” Veronica asked innocently.

   “No,” The captain replied, fixing a vicious stare on her. “That’s because I’m old and fat. Watch your insubordination.”

   “Sorry, Sir.” She replied hastily, turning to catch Curtis’ eye and sharing a secret smile with him.

   Curtis cleared his throat briefly before turning to Acxa who had been just outside of their circle the entire time but not said anything. “What about you, Acxa? Did you ever have any pets?”

   “I’ve never had an animal companion.” Acxa replied matter-of-factly. That was something about her that always struck Veronica— she seemed so worried to interact with anyone that she always cut it to the shortest interactions possible. Everything she said was quick and curt, though never rude. It seemed like she was keeping a wall up and, as much as Veronica wished she wouldn’t, she couldn’t deny that she understood. “Though one of my partners was bonded to an immortal cat. Through that cat she was able to experience the world.”

   “Oh, that’s—“ The word _nice_ died on her tongue as Acxa cut her off, finishing her thought.

   “That was, until Lotor killed her and we were forced to abandon the cat so we could escape and stay alive.” Stunned silence followed her words. Veronica had known that Acxa, clearly, had not had an easy life. Still, hearing her drop small hints to the struggle she faced so casually was like a knife right to Veronica’s heart.

   It reminded her again that everyone was fighting their own battle. For her, for the longest time, it’d been the fear that she’d lost her baby brother Lance. It had been comforting her mother, trying to make up stories to her niece and nephew about why Uncle Lance was away. It had been hard— in the middle of the night she often broke down, staring up at the stars and praying that he was up there somewhere, coming down soon. On those same nights, Acxa was out there in the stars somewhere, fighting her own battle. And while their battles were vastly different, Veronica could recognize the same hurt and worry in Acxa that she had tried to hide from her family so long. No matter how tough she acted, she still felt just like everyone else, even if she tried to deny it.

   Veronica opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a loud beeping and then a message overhead summoning the crew to the bridge. With a huff, the four of them stood up and headed out the door together, Bebe hot on their heels. The trek to the bridge was quick and the doors slid open to reveal that they were the first to make it. The others filed in quickly, but the crew was already tapping away at their screens and pulling up different information.

   “We have the Paladins on the line. Go ahead with what you were saying, Paladins.” Shiro said once the doors slid shut for the last time.

   It was Allura who spoke up first and a hush fell through the room instantly. “We were able to locate another Altean Robeast.” She said.

   “You were? Did you capture it?” Shiro asked immediately.

   A brief, tense silence. “No,” Allura said finally. “By the time we got there, it was already too late.”

   “Where was it?” Coran jumped into the conversation, staring intently at the screen as if he could somehow see Allura through it, despite it only being a voice channel that was open.

   “Olkarion,” Keith jumped in.

   Glances were exchanged throughout the room, the tension building. “And the Olkarions?” Coran asked, “Are they alright?”

   Another long pause before Keith finally sighed and said “No. The planet is completely destroyed. We were unable to save anybody.”

    This time, the silence that fell was stunned. Everyone was glancing around the room with a tangible sadness in their eyes. Veronica could feel the weight of the words on her heart, forcing it lower into her chest. She glanced to her right to see Acxa and the way she looked torn apart. Briefly, Veronica wondered if she knew anything about this, if it had ever been a plan of Lotor's or Honerva's that she'd had the chance to stop. But, before the train of thought took her too far, she banished it. She didn't know Acxa that well yet, but she refused to make judgements. Clearly she was trying to change and fight for the right side and that was all that mattered. Everyone had a past.

    “But,” Keith pressed on, his voice rough with what sounded like denied emotions. “We did gain some valuable information so that we can prevent it from happening to anyone else.”

    “Yes,” Allura took back the speaking role when nobody from inside the Atlas said anything. “We learned that they're using wormholes to travel. And Pidge has created a way to track them.”

    “Wormholes?” Shiro finally broke the heavy silence on the bridge and suddenly Veronica felt like she could breathe a little easier. “How is that possible?”

    “We don't know,” Pidge finally joined the conversation. Her voice was choked and Veronica wished she could give her a hug. She'd only briefly met Pidge, but it had been clear from the very beginning how much the Olkarion people had meant to her. Veronica could only imagine the overwhelming sense of loss she was feeling and hoped that Lance was taking proper care of her. “But what we do know, even though it doesn't make sense, is that all of the wormholes are originating from one spot— Oriande.”

    “What?” Coran slapped his hands on the table in front of him, standing up so quickly that his chair toppled over. All eyes in the room turned to look at him. “You think Honerva is on Oriande? I thought only— does she have the marks of the chosen?”

    “Like I said, it doesn't make sense. But the data is very clearly pointing to Oriande.” Pidge emphasized.

    Hunk was the next to jump in and Veronica couldn't help but smile slightly. Even in the midst of war and a heavy loss, he managed to sound upbeat and jovial. She would forever be grateful that Lance had found him as a friend. “I ran the data myself and I got the exact same results. Oriande is definitely where the wormholes are originating.”

    “Okay,” Shiro said as reasonably as he could. “So what do we do?”

    “That,” Lance's voice came through loud and clear and Veronica immediately felt like sagging with relief. Even though he was a Paladin of Voltron, he was still her baby brother and worrying about him was built into her. Just knowing he was okay allowed her to let go of some tension she hadn't even known she was holding. She could see Shiro watching her and smiling slightly. They were his family, too, she knew and he was likely feeling exactly the same way. “is the million dollar question. Science only gets us so far.”

    Pidge called his name loudly through the coms, clearly exasperated, and Lance burst out laughing. Veronica grinned, barely able to suppress a laugh of her own.

    Keith finally addressed Shiro's question and, while he no doubt dealt with these antics all day long, Veronica could hear a slight smile in his words. “We're not sure. I think it's best if we meet up somewhere and go over our options.”

    While he spoke, Curtis moved to his station and began tapping away, waving Shiro over after a moment. Together they peered at the screen, pointing and murmuring amongst themselves until clearly coming to an agreement.

    Shiro stood upright, “I think I know the best place for us to meet.”

    “Great,” Keith replied immediately. “Send us the coordinates and we'll see you soon.”

* * *

    Lunch aboard the Atlas was usually better than lunch in the garrison had ever been. In his down time, Hunk practically haunted the kitchen, tweaking everything to ensure the crew got the best of the best. Since he'd been gone on a mission for a few days, though, the food had dropped in quality. Still, that wasn't to say it was _bad_ — it was miles ahead of anything they'd ever had before Hunk intervened— but they'd had better. They'd gotten spoiled by Hunk's delicious cooking.

    Like every day since she'd become an MFE pilot, Veronica sat with the rest of the team. They had become a second family to Veronica over the years and, as much as they annoyed her sometimes— like all families did— she would do anything for them. Still, the table seated six and there were only five of them at it, leaving an empty spot next to her. Just diagonal to them was a table that also seated six, with only one occupant.

    “Acxa! Come sit with us!” Veronica called, patting the empty space next to her. She beamed when Acxa stood up from her spot, carrying her tray over and sliding in.

    The rest of the team was welcoming to her which pleased Veronica. If there was one thing that they had all learned in the course of the war so far, it was that good people could do some very bad things in desperate situations. She suspected this was the case with Acxa.

    “So,” Kinkade spoke up and Veronica shot him a grateful smile. “How did you meet the Paladins?”

    “I met Keith in the third stomach of a weblum.” Acxa stirred the food around on her plate, not looking up at them as she spoke. “He saved my life.”

    “Why were you—” Leifsdottir started, but Veronica cut her off quickly.

    “I met Keith back when he was just a kid. Lance used to see him as the biggest rival, always going on and on about how he had to beat Keith. Finally one day I made him point Keith out to me so I could go over and introduce myself. I didn't say anything more than hi before Lance was dragging me away, embarrassed.” She laughed at the memory as she spoke. Glancing around, she saw the rest of the team, even Acxa, with fond smiles on their faces.

    “Now they're inseparable.” Acxa said. “That first time I met Keith in the weblum is the only time I've ever seen one of them without the other right there.”

    “Believe it or not, they were inseparable in school, too, they just weren't fond of each other. Like Veronica said, Lance was always striving to beat Keith and Keith, although I don't think he'd ever admit it, let Lance be a driving force behind his improvement. He refused to be bested by him.” James Griffin spoke up from across the table. Sometimes Veronica forgot that he had gone to school with them and that he had known them nearly as long as she had.

    “I didn't realize they'd known each other that long.” Acxa replied, finally relaxing enough to take a bite of her food again.

    “Oh yeah. I think it was Lance's third day at the garrison that I first heard about Keith. They have been tuned into each other from the day they met.”

    “Adding to the list of things Keith will never admit to, he punched me in the face once for insulting Lance.” Griffin shrugged, clearly no longer bothered by it.

    Veronica, on the other hand, lit up. “What? _That's_ why he punched you? I've heard that story before, of course, but everyone always said you were just bragging too much and it annoyed him. Which, really, _does_ sound like you.”

    Kinkade laughed, jabbing his elbow into Griffin's side. James, for his part, smiled sheepishly. “I mean that's not _untrue_. But I was bragging about how much better than Lance I was.”

    “And yet you're not the Paladin of Voltron,” Rizavi teased.

    James rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically but smiling fondly anyways. “It's clearly not the case anymore, okay? I admit that. I'm just telling the story to illustrate that they've come a long way to become friends.”

    “Yeah,” Veronica smiled, watching Acxa out of the corner of her eye. They were really a great example of how relationships of any sort could overcome most anything. She hoped it would be that way for her and Acxa. She would do everything in her power to make sure it was. “They really have.”

* * *

    The Paladins flew mostly in silence, only stopping briefly when they got a transmission from Shiro that changed the location of their rendezvous. Lance didn’t hear anything of the conversation—Shiro opened a line with Keith only—but Keith relayed the information instantly, inputting new coordinates into the system and quickly transferring them to the rest of the team so that they’re all sure to be headed to the same place. Lance didn’t really think much of it—they’re in the middle of an intergalactic war, there’s an infinite amount of reasons Shiro could be changing their location.

             At least, he didn’t really think much of it until they got to the new rendezvous point: a planet that’s nearly collapsed in on itself and clearly uninhabitable. He didn’t even need to hear Pidge say that it had half the level of oxygen and twice the levels of carbon dioxide to know that this planet was definitely toxic. In what appeared to be the very middle of the planet—at least, as far as they could see from their landing location—there was a volcano. The ground around it is cracked in locations and Lance could see the faint red glow of lava just under the surface.

             “Why would Shiro have us meet him here?” Keith voiced aloud and it’s the first time Lance felt that spike of panic.

             “You mean he didn’t tell you?” He asked, hoping Keith would give him an answer that was more comforting.

             Instead, Keith replied with a simple, “No.”

             A few thoughts rushed through Lance’s mind immediately and he wanted to voice all of them, but first he needed to get them in order. Before he had a chance to even properly sort them out, there was a flash of light and the Atlas appeared above them.

             “The Atlas!” Hunk cried in excitement through the coms.

             The relief Lance felt was incredibly short lived. No sooner had Hunk gotten out his cheer before there was a secondary bright flash and the cloaking that had been covering the ship above them disappeared. No longer were they looking at the Atlas—instead they were looking at a ship that looked much, much more sinister. Lance’s stomach dropped to his feet as he realized they’d been trapped.

             Having the exact same realization at the exact same time, Keith cried, “Everybody, up in the air! It’s a trap!”

             Lance reached for the controls of Red but didn’t even manage to get a grip before a beam came from the ship above, pinning his Lion to the ground. He glanced around him to see all of the other Lions pinned just as strongly as he was.

             “Emergency ejection!” Keith yelled. He had really grown into a leader well, Lance had to admit. Despite what was clearly a bad situation, his commands were clear and calm. Lance could see the others jettison out of their Lions before he slammed his hand onto his own button, following suit.

             The beam felt like increased gravity and Lance hoped beyond hope that the emergency ejection would give him enough momentum to make it out of the beam’s range, otherwise he feared he wouldn’t be able to do it on his own. As he could feel himself slowing down and tumbling towards the ground, he turned the boosters on his armor on, giving himself the last _oomph_ he needed. He crashed to the ground just outside the beam, immediately scrambling to his feet and taking off away from the ship.

             In the distance in front of him, he could see the white dots of the other Paladin armor as the rest of the team ran for their lives, too. Lance scrambled over and around the rocks that dotted the landscape, only stopping to breathe once he was out of sight of the lions. He could see the others grouped up ahead of him and hustled to join them, doubling over on himself, propping his hands on his knees and just trying to catch his breath.

             “What was that?” He asked after a moment.

             “Not good,” Keith replied, his eyes trained over Lance’s shoulder and on the ship hovering just off the ground.

             “Well, yeah, I got that much on my own there, Keith.” Lance replied, standing up straight.

             Keith turned to him, poised to say something else, but his words were cut off by a blaster shot hitting the ground in the middle of their group. Lance spun around immediately to find a small drone—similar to Rover, he noted with sadness—trailing after them, poised to shoot again. The team took off for the second time, weaving as they went in hopes of becoming a harder target to hit. The drone followed with ease, constantly shooting between the five of them.

             “We need to do something!” Hunk yelled as he screeched to a halt, barely missing the explosion of rocks that came from a shot hitting right in front of him.

             “I think I can hack it,” Pidge said as she ran, “But I’m going to need time.”

             Not needing to be told twice, Hunk and Lance exchanged a look before both whirling around, bayards out. Lance felt the familiar hum in his veins as his bayard switched to his blaster and he lifted it high, taking aim. Hunk had his own blaster out next to him and together they laid into the drone, covering it in continuous fire. Even through their blasts, Lance could see that the drone had a shield up, preventing it from taking any damage. But, at the very least, their barrage of attacks was preventing it from progressing forwards which gave Pidge the time she needed.

             Briefly, Lance glanced over his shoulder to find Pidge hunched over, Keith and Allura both standing between her and the drone with their shields up. Through his headset he could hear Keith hailing the Atlas desperately, asking for help but the other end of the line was silence. He could see Pidge tapping away at the screen, scrolling through data and looking for something specific.

    After another moment or so, she straightened up and declared, “There! It shouldn’t be able to track us anymore.”

    Simultaneously, Lance and Hunk lowered their blasters, allowing them to change back into the basic shape of their bayards. The drone dropped its shield and what followed next was a few of the longest moments of Lance’s life. The Paladins stood together In a group, stock still, all eyes trained on the drone. It turned slowly from side to side, clearly scanning the area. On one hand, it didn’t seem to see them. On the other hand, it wasn’t moving on, which made Lance worry.

    After the few terse moments, Lance heard a distinctive _click_ come from the drone and then immediately it was locked back on to them, shooting. The Paladins scrambled again, diving for a large outcropping of rocks in the distance to hopefully provide some comfort.

    “It switched filters!” Pidge yelled as she rounded the corner and disappeared from Lance’s view. “It can track our armor!”

    “Our armor?” Hunk sounded frantic as he, too, disappeared from Lance’s line of sight.

    Lance, instead of continuing for the rocks, spun on his toes and lifted his sniper to his eyes, taking aim through the site. He knew it wouldn’t do much, but they couldn’t just run. Something needed to be done. After a couple of shots, the shield around the drone flickered and then disappeared—Lance had clearly managed to damage whatever part of it maintained the shield. He took a few more shots but the drone was able to dodge his shots. Frustrated, he let out a strangled cry.

    “Guys, it keeps dodging me.” He yelled finally.

    “Got it,” He heard Keith say a moment before he saw Keith go soaring over his head, bayard blade in hand. It was almost slow motion, watching him glide through the air, slicing effortlessly through the drone and landing in a perfect crouch. Lance had seen Keith fight plenty of times—had fought alongside him more than enough times—and still he often found himself awed at how gracefully he moved. It was like his body was built for this sort of thing—lithe and nimble.

    “Great!” Pidge said, appearing from behind the rocks and drawing Lance out of his train of thought. “I’m going to see if I can hack it.”

    She moved over to the halved drone and crouched down, fidgeting with it in a way Lance didn’t even care to try and understand. Hunk came to a stop next to him, clasping him on the shoulder.

    “That was pretty cool, Keith,” He said.

    “Yeah,” Lance agreed before playfully adding, “I was just about to do that myself but, you know, good job.”

    Keith shot him an exasperated look but didn’t give a real response. Hunk nudged Lance conspiratorially on the shoulder and Lance shot him a smile. The whole team turned to Pidge, watching her work her way through the done, picking up pieces, inspecting them, and then dropping them back to the ground. After a minute or so, with the tensions growing due to an unknown threat hanging just in the distance, Pidge let out a sigh.

    “There’s nothing I can do,” She said. “We have to ditch our suits if we don’t want to be tracked.”

    “Are we forgetting the fact that you said this air is literally poison?” Hunk asked from besides Lance. His tension tripled in a way that was tangible even to Lance.

    “Well, it’s not really a good situation either way. At least if we ditch the suits, we have a chance of fighting back.” Keith said, starting the movement by puling his helmet off. His hair fell around his shoulders and Lance marveled, not for the first time, at how long it was.

    “So we die by poisoning, then.” Hunk said with a sad sigh.

    Lance was the next to take his helmet off, setting it on the ground. “I mean it’s that or die by some unknown enemy that can track us and therefore sneak up on us.”

    “So we die,” Hunk amended, pulling his own helmet off.

    “That’s the spirit,” Lance teased, pulling his chest plate over his head.

   The rest of the team followed suit, all stripping down their armor and leaving it in a pile in the middle of the clearing they were occupying. The air was warm but it didn’t feel like poison. Still, as Lance took off running in the opposite direction of the lions, he noted the way he tired easily, feeling his chest tighten as if he were unable to get in a solid breath.

    “What now?” Allura asked once they’d gained enough distance from their suits to feel safe.

    “We need to get our lions back,” Keith replied. “I don’t know how else to do that other than to just show up there and fight.”

    “We have no idea what we’re fighting,” Hunk pointed out.

    “I know,” Keith glanced around at the faces of each of his teammates. “And fighting an unknown enemy without our Lions puts us at an even bigger disadvantage. At least with our lions we have a chance.”

    “Keith’s right,” Pidge was glancing around the surroundings, “I think we need to get back to our lions. If we can find a way to stop that beam and free our lions, we’re good to go.”

    “I’ll take the beam,” Keith offered immediately. You guys go back and wait by the lions, ready to take them as soon as the beam is down. I’m going to try and sneak aboard the ship and shut it down.”

    The rest of the team nodded but Lance wasn’t convinced. “I’ll go with you.”

    “No, Lance. We need you in your lion. Once you have Red back you can cover me until I’m in Black, but I need you to go with the others now.”

    Every fiber in Lance’s being was screaming at him that it was a terrible idea, but he ignored the gut feeling and the way it wrapped so tightly around his heart he felt weak. He watched as Keith turned his back and headed towards the volcano in the center of the planet, no doubt trying to get high ground to plan his attack. Lance could feel his worry like a livewire under his skin, making him feel jittery and anxious. Still, when the rest of the team took off, he turned his back to Keith’s retreating figure and ran with them, barely paying attention to where they were going. The uneasy feeling got worse with every step he took in the opposite direction of Keith.

    The four of them ran aimlessly for a bit, dodging and weaving their way through dead, fallen trees and the rocks that were still upturned every few feet. Allura was leading the way, her eyes constantly scanning the distance and Pidge and Hunk were side by side right behind her. Lance felt bare without his armor, even worse without his bayard there to protect them. The longer they ran, the more his lungs burned at the lack of oxygen and the more he wondered how this could possibly end okay.

   “We’re lost,” Allura said finally, coming to a stop with defeat. “I have no idea where our Lions are.”

    “I would kill for gps right now,” Pidge said after a moment, leaning forward slightly to help herself catch her breath.

    “I think this shows that we’re too reliant on technology.” Allura replied.

    While they talked, Lance took a moment to scan their surroundings. His eyes lingered on the volcano that he knew Keith was on when he realized exactly how to get back to their lions. “Our lions are over there,” He said suddenly, cutting through the conversation Pidge and Allura were having. He pointed his finger off to the left, “I’m sure of it.”

    “How do you know?” Allura asked, following his finger and gazing in the distance.

    “When we came in, the volcano was on our left. So if we put it on our right, it’ll lead us back out in the right direction.” He explained simply. “Which means that we need to go that way in order to get back to our lions.”

    “Good thinking, Lance.” Pidge said with a smile. “It makes perfect sense.”

    In another circumstance, Lance might have taken a jab at her, teasing her about how he’d figured out something smart that she hadn’t. But he was too on edge to bother with that. Plus, a moment after he finished explaining, another blaster shot ricocheted around them. They turned in unison to find four people approaching them quickly, bandanas and masks covering their faces. No doubt that was to help prevent them from slowly being poisoned by the air but it had the added benefit of preventing any of the paladins from recognizing who they were.

    With Keith being gone, the leadership role fell to Lance. He jumped immediately in front of the others, urging them to move quickly. He reached a hand up instinctively, forgetting briefly that he didn’t have his shield with him, and took a shot to his side, just above his hip. With a grunt, he stumbled but didn’t fall. Instead he turned on his heels and hurried after the others. His side stung wickedly with each step he took but he didn’t have time to focus on it. Blaster shots were coming from all angles now and he was too keenly aware of the fact that he didn’t have his armor on. Technology wasn’t the only thing they’d gotten too reliant on.

    “Scramble!” He yelled, catching up to the rest of the team. They glanced back at him and he could feel their eyes lingering on his side but he didn’t care.

    Another blaster shot rocked the ground around them and then suddenly it was splintering under their feet, crumbling away without hesitation. They tried to run faster, to make it before the ground opened up completely beneath them and swallowed them whole but they couldn’t. It was only a few more steps before there was no longer anything under their feet at all and they went tumbling down, down, _down_.

* * *

    Veronica approached the indoor shooting range without hesitation. Acxa was already there, one hand behind her back, shooting with perfect accuracy. Veronica took up the spot next to her—it was all advanced technology so there were no real lanes to shoot from—and pulled out her own blaster, taking aim. This continued on in silence for a few minutes. Once all the targets had been successfully eliminated, Acxa turned to face her.

    “You really don’t trust me?” She asked, a mixture of disappointment and lack of surprise showing on her face.

    “That’s not it at all,” Veronica corrected immediately, “I do trust you.”

    “You do?” This time it was clearly surprise that coated her features and the expression made something stir inside Veronica. Was it really that hard to believe that she could be trusted? Had nobody ever trusted her before?

    “I do.” She confirmed.

    “Why?” Acxa asked after a moment of consideration “You have no reason to.”

    “Keith trusts you,” Veronica answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “And while I still may not know him that well, I know my brother and he trusts Keith implicitly, so I do, too. And if they both trust you, there’s no reason for that not to extend to me.”

    “You’ve never considered that it might be foolish of him to trust me?”

    “Nope.” Veronica shrugged. “It’s clear to see that you’re trying to turn your life around and I’m not going to stand in the way of that. We’ve all done things we regret in the past. But they’re the past, not the present.”

    “Have you killed people before?” Acxa challenged, clearly caught off guard by Veronica’s openness. Veronica could practically see the wall being built between them.

    Veronica didn’t even hesitate to answer, “No, but I’ve never been put in the situations you were put in. I grew up with a family around me that loved me and tried to give me everything they could. So no, I haven’t. But that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t if put in the same circumstances.”

    Silence lapsed between them again but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Veronica glanced away, allowing Acxa a moment of privacy to try and sort through her feelings. It was very clear that she was conflicted and perplexed by the entire situation but Veronica thought that there was a part inside of her that was pleased by it, too. At least, she hoped there was.

    Finally, after a long few moments, Acxa let out a breath. “I know all too well what it feels like to not fit in. I’ve spent my entire life not fitting in. A half-breed that didn’t belong to either race, shunned by both. And yet here, where I should be the enemy, I have been more welcomed than anywhere else in my life.”

    A warmth bubbled up inside Veronica at the words and she struggled to not be overcome with emotion. “That’s because we don’t see you as a half-breed. We see you as Acxa and so far, we’ve all liked her.”

    An unreadable emotion flashed across Acxa’s face a moment before she broke out into a slight smile. It wasn’t big, but it was the most Veronica had seen from her yet and she loved seeing it. It tripled the warmth inside of her. She smiled back openly before outright laughing when Acxa said, “So now what? I’m not familiar with how to make friends.”

    “Well,” Veronica said, clipping her blaster back to her belt finally. “Now we get to know each other! As you already know about me, I have a big family and my baby brother is the Red Paladin of Voltron.”

    “Risking your lives is a family trait then, huh?” Acxa joked and Veronica nearly exploded with giddiness.

    “Yes, it seems that way.” She laughed in response.

    “What do you want to know about me, then?” Acxa asked.

    There was a lot of things Veronica wanted to know about her but she understood that a lot of them were likely sensitive topics and she didn’t want to scare Acxa away. She considered the question for a moment, trying to think of which question would be a good place for her to start.

    “I heard you visited Keith at his father’s grave. What were you doing there?” She asked, hoping it was a gentle enough starting place.

    “Oh, you heard about that?” When Veronica nodded, Acxa continued. “I actually wasn’t visiting Keith, I was looking for his mom.”

    “Krolia?”

    Acxa nodded, continuing, “She is working on rebuilding the Blades of Marmora and I wanted to offer my assistance to her. I want the Galra side in me to start to stand for something good instead of all the destruction it has stood for up until this point.”

    Pleasantly surprised, Veronica smiled again. “I haven’t met any Blades besides Keith, Krolia and Kolivan, but Lance told me a decent amount about the organization and what it stands for. I think you’d make a really great blade!”

    With a modest smile and a slight flush to her cheeks, Acxa responded, “So did Krolia. She is out on a mission right now with Kolivan and Kosmo but she promised to get me involved as soon as she comes back. I think it’s the first step to really atoning for what I’ve done in the past.”

    “And you said I was wrong for trusting you,” Veronica joked, giving Acxa a slight nudge.

    “I guess,” Acxa said, laughing lightly at the joke, “I’m still learning to trust myself.”

* * *

    Lance hit the ground hard, his legs buckling underneath him. He pitched forwards, throwing his hands out instinctively to catch himself. His palms scraped hard against the rough surface of the ground and the jolt shot straight up his arms and into his shoulders, instantly making them ache. The blaster wound in his side throbbed miserably as he pushed himself up, looking around.

    To his right was Allura, also picking herself up off the ground. Behind her was a large rock wall that seemed to enclose the area they were in, making it a narrow tunnel. He couldn’t see Pidge or Hunk anywhere. Glancing above, he could see the hole they’d fallen through and the enemies that were standing at the top, trying to scheme how to get down without taking the fall as hard as they had.

    “Pidge and Hunk are on the other side of this wall,” Allura said, approaching him quickly. “They were next to me as we fell, I watched them fall over there.”

    Getting separated with more of the team was the absolute last thing Lance wanted, but that had been taken out of his control. All he had left was Allura and he was determined to protect her until his dying breath if that were the case—and it was looking like that might be the case.

    “We don’t have any time to waste. Based off of where we fell, our lions should still be that way.” Lance took a step in the direction he was indicating, his knee going weak underneath him. He wavered a moment before catching himself.

    Allura lunged forward, bracing him with a hand on his chest and one pulling his shoulder back. “Lance, your side.”

     “We don’t have time,” He ground out, trying not to let his pain show through.

    “Let me heal you quickly.” Allura reached for him but Lance waved her hands away.

    “They’re going to be down here any second,” He gestured towards the hole above them where the shadows seemed to somehow be looming even closer. “We need to get moving if we have any hope of surviving. I’ll get patched up later.”

    “But Lance—”

    “Let’s go!” Lance grabbed Allura by one of her hands and took off, his first few steps and awkward stumble as his legs figured out how to hold him again.

    After a few strides it leveled out, though, and he was able to maintain a decent pace. Allura shot him a worried look but Lance ignored it. In the past, having her fret over him would’ve been a dream come true. But war had changed him and her attention was no longer at the top of his list. First was keeping his team alive, and second was keeping himself alive. A pang swept through him as he realized that he no longer hung all of his hopes and feelings on Allura. It was equally freeing and empty to realize that something that had been such a big part of him for so long was gone.

    They made it a few more steps before Lance could hear the unmistakable sound of two other sets of footsteps gaining on them. Whoever was pursuing them had found their way down. The cave mouth appeared in front of them and they darted through it, doing their best to outpace their pursuers. But the poor air quality and Lance’s injuries slowed him down and he was certain he could hear the footsteps getting closer. Sure enough, a blaster shot hit the ground directly next to him and the impact knocked him off his feet, pitching him to the side.

    “Allura, run!” He called as he fell, spinning as he went to face their assailants.

    Whoever they were, they were close on his tail. He’d barely hit the ground before they were looming over him, reaching for him and hauling him off of the ground. Their grip on his shoulder was painfully tight, fingers digging into the soft flesh at the joint and making him feel briefly like they might cut into him.

    “Well, would you look at that? She left you.” The other one crooned, walking a slow circle around Lance and the person who had him in a tight grip.

    “Good.” Lance bit back, refusing to look intimidated. He met the eyes of the person across from him with determination, stiffening his spine. If this was how he went down, he was going to go down with dignity.

    “Would you look at that? Kitty has some cla—” His captor started to say. The end of their word was cut off by Allura’s fist as she appeared next to them suddenly.

    As Lance stumbled to the side again, he remembered the Altean’s incredible cloaking ability and realized that she’d never left him at all, just blended in with their surroundings. She dove towards the person who’d been holding Lance, fist cocked back and ready for another punch. Lance didn’t get to see it land, though, instead jumping between her and the second person, deflecting a blow and sweeping their feet out from underneath them. They hopped back up quickly but with a swift kick straight to the stomach, Lance was able to slam them into one of the nearby rocks, knocking them out. He turned back to see Allura standing over her own opponent, victorious.

    “You didn’t think I’d really leave you, did you?” She asked, reaching for him.

    “Never,” He smiled at her, “Now let’s hurry up and get going again. We need to make sure Pidge and Hunk are safe.”

    They continued forward until finally the rock wall to their left disappeared and they were able to see the route that Pidge and Hunk would be forced to take. Lance and Allura rounded the corner quickly, skidding to a quick halt once they could see what was on the other side. Pidge and Hunk sauntered towards them casually, their assailants hanging by their ankles from trees behind them. In her hands, Pidge was holding a tracking device while Hunk had picked up their blaster.

    “About time you got here,” Pidge said with a sly grin. “Lions are this way.”

* * *

    Shiro paced along his command post on the bridge of the Atlas, feeling restless. Veronica sat at one of the nearby communication stations, Acxa behind her. The longer the Paladins took to get to the rendezvous point, the more anxious Shiro got. Keith had been keeping them updated, explaining that they’d had equipment malfunction but something in Shiro’s gut was going off like an alarm. He’d talked to Keith every time he’d called with an update and it _sounded_ like Keith but something just didn’t sit right with Shiro.

    “Well, now we’ve lost our gps communications so we can’t set the coordinates.” Keith said over the coms.

    Veronica was the one talking to him this time. The strange feeling was rubbing Shiro’s nerves raw and he’d asked her to come talk to Keith in his stead because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it without downright combusting. “How long do you think it’ll take to fix?”

    “No idea,” Keith replied breezily, sounding like he wasn’t even the slightest bit concerned about the problem. That was very Keith—he was great at seeming aloof in all situations. “But we’ve got Lance on it so I’m certain it’ll be taken care of in no time.”

    “Right,” Veronica laughed into the mic in front of her. “Lance, the tech and navigation genius. He’s going to fix it for you.”

    “Yeah, he’s the best.” Keith said, sounding completely and absolutely serious.

    Shiro watched Veronica exchange a look with Acxa before meeting his gaze, her eyebrows pulled together in suspicion and worry. She reached up and flipped a switch, shutting off the communication channel between her and Keith. “How long have they been delayed?”

    “They should’ve arrived here when we did.” Shiro replied.

    Part of him was relieved to see that Veronica shared the same trepidation and suspicion as him but the rest of him was highly alarmed. He might’ve been able to pass it off as normal worry in the middle of the war before but Veronica didn’t know Keith nearly as well as Shiro did and still, even she could sense that something was wrong.

    “Can we look into their communications?” She asked, directing her gaze at Curtis who had been sitting idly at his station, watching the entire thing unfold.

    “Affirmative.” Curtis jumped into action immediately, pulling up their last transmission and tracking it. Shiro watched on screen as the location ping-ponged around a few times. “It looks like their signal is bouncing off of a few different encrypted servers.” A few more clicks. “There.” Suddenly a whole slew of things appeared on the screen, all messages from the Paladins. “These are their real communications.”

    The voices of the Paladins suddenly filled the room, begging Atlas for help. They were screaming, explaining they had been tricked and trapped and that they were running for their lives. Shiro’s heart sunk so low he was sure it was sitting a few floors below them now. “What happened?”

    “It looks like someone intercepted their coms,” Curtis replied solemnly, “And sent us fake ones instead. They were able to pull Keith’s voice out of his distress calls and mask their own voice with it so we wouldn’t be suspicious.”

    “Can you find out where the Paladins are?” Shiro asked tersely, already slamming his hand on the button that sent an alarm blaring overhead.

    “Already got it,” Curtis replied, pulling a location up on screen. “They’re here.”

    “Let’s get all hands on deck, then.” Shiro gripped the console hard, leaning onto his arms and willing his heart not to give out with fear. “We need to get there immediately.”

* * *

    Keith was exhausted. Beyond exhausted if he could think of a word for it but his oxygen starved brain was hardly functioning as it was. The ground was hot to the touch and the air was sweltering as he reached the very top of the volcano and stood on the edge, looking down into the vat of lava below. There was something terrifyingly beautiful about it, he thought, as he stepped around it to get a clearer view of the ship that was holding them captive.

    He had no idea where the other Paladins were or what was happening to them and he knew he couldn’t waste much thought on it. There was nothing he could do short of taking down that ship and worrying just took away some of the very limited energy he had left. He was so caught up trying to formulate a plan that he didn’t notice the steps until they were right behind him. Reaching for his Blade of Marmora knife, he spun quickly, putting it out in front of him as defense. There, a few feet away from him, stood two people, masks obscuring their features.

    With absolutely no preamble, the first one lunged at him, a blade of their own leading the way. The two of them clashed, blade to blade, a few times before his opponent was able to land a hit to his jaw. Keith stumbled, doing his best to maintain his footing on the uneven surface, and wasn’t quick enough to block a second blow that came to his chest. What little air he’d been managing to get was knocked right out of him as he hit the ground hard on his back. He barely managed to draw his blade up in time to deflect another attack, body moving instinctively to kick the other person away. They flopped onto their own back a few feet away and Keith jumped to his feet, gasping for air. He hobbled over, knowing that he was vulnerable to an attack from behind where the other person was standing, but he couldn’t possibly manage to worry about both of them at the same time. Knowing it was a risk, he chose to focus all of his attention only on one.

    He swung his blade wildly, haphazardly. He knew better, had better technique, but he still couldn’t breathe and for the first time in awhile he could feel the fear seeping in. If he were unsuccessful here, he would be letting the rest of his team down and potentially leaving them all to their deaths. He couldn’t let that happen. He swung his blade a second time, stomping his foot hard into the stomach of his opponent when their hands were busy blocking him. The gasped, grabbing his foot and yanking it out from underneath him. Keith hit the ground, again, but managed to prop himself up on one elbow, fending off the attacks that were coming his way.

    Finally, they both managed to scramble to their feet, blades forgotten on the ground. They threw punch after punch until Keith finally landed one hard enough to knock the other out. They crumpled to the ground at his feet and Keith turned to his other opponent with a jagged breath, amazed to see that they hadn’t moved an inch throughout the entire fight. Carefully, the other person reached up and undid their mask, drawing it off of their face and dropping it to the ground.

    “Zethrid?” Keith asked incredulously, pressing a hand firmly to his side in an attempt to help his breathing. It didn’t work.

    “You took Ezor away from me,” Zethrid stalked towards Keith, an unmistakable fire of hatred and heartbreak in her eyes. “You took her away from me and now I’m going to make you feel the same pain.”

    Keith scrambled back a few steps, trying to locate his blade on the ground. He dove, rolling and swiping the blade as he went. It left him prepared but exhausted and he genuinely wondered whether he had the stamina to fight Zethrid. She, clearly, had been protected by the mask. Keith, on the other hand, was still struggling to get his wind back with air that had barely enough oxygen to sustain life. He was starting to feel lightheaded from the exertion, the corners of his vision going blurry.

    “I don’t know what you think I did,” Keith tried, “But I promise you, I had nothing to do with anything that happened to Ezor.”

    “I’m going to take away whoever you love most,” Zethrid continued her slow advance on Keith, a blaster in her hands. There was nothing stopping her from shooting him right then and there but Keith got the impression that she wanted to drag this out—to make it hurt. It didn’t help that he was already hurting. “And then, after that, I’m going to make sure my face is the last you ever see.”

   “Zethrid, please—” Keith tried again, but it was already too late, she was lunging for him with her blaster poised and ready.

* * *

    Lance, Allura, Pidge and Hunk were about halfway to their lions when the Atlas suddenly appeared overhead. They burst into cheers as they watched the Atlas strike the ship that was holding their lions down, causing it to come crashing to the ground.

    “Hurry everyone! We need to get back!” Pidge took off ahead, Hunk following close behind her.

    Allura started to take off before noticing Lance’s hesitation. “Lance, come on. You need to get healed.”

    “You go ahead,” He said, determination flaring inside of him. “I’m going to find Keith.”

    “What?” Allura took an imploring step towards him. “You’re injured. You need to get back to the ship.”

    “No,” Lance shook his head, backing up. “I need to get to Keith. You go back, tell the other’s we’re out here. Investigate that ship and get our lions back. I’m not going back until I have Keith.”

    Before Allura had a chance to say anything else, Lance took off in the direction of the volcano, pushing his shaky legs faster than he thought they could even go. Weakness from the lack of oxygen was starting to set in on his entire body but he ignored it, instead focusing on the way the jittery feeling lessened with each step he took towards Keith.

    The mountain loomed in front of him, tall and proud. He knew it would be a feat to climb it, but that didn’t stop him. Keeping his head down. Lance began the trek up, just putting one foot in front of the other over and over again. About halfway up the mountain, he could see the MFE ships take flight from the Atlas, circling around the planet, clearly in search of them. It made him feel a little better.

    The sight gave him a second wind and he pushed past the pain in his side to hustle the remaining distance up the mountain. As he got closer, he could see one of the ships hovering just off of the ground and two figures standing below it. Creeping closer, he was surprised to find his sister crouched behind one of the rocks, a blaster in her hands and Acxa standing out in the open.

    “Zethrid, please. I know you’re hurting, but this isn’t the way. This is why Ezor left you. She couldn’t stand the hatred anymore.” Acxa was saying.

    Lance crept up behind Veronica, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin as he did so. She threw an arm around him immediately pulling him into a hug and whispering in his hear that she was glad he was okay. He squeezed her back briefly, tuning in to the conversation happening on the other side of them.

    “Do not think you can save me, Acxa. I am too far gone.” Lance glanced over the rock he and Veronica were crouched behind, only to feel a spike of terror at what he saw on the other side. Zethrid was there with Keith pressed to her chest. She had one hand around his neck and the other holding a blaster to the side of his head, keeping him hostage. Keith looked significantly worse for wear with some blood around his mouth and a few tears in his body suit. His hair was a disaster and he looked like he was moments away from collapsing in on himself. It was the worst Lance had ever seen him look and saying he was terrified would be a vast understatement.

    “I used to think that, too.” Acxa had her hands up in front of her and took a tentative step forward. Even from Lance’s spot, he could see Zethrid’s grip on Keith tighten. “But It isn’t true, Zethrid. We can still change. We can find a place that accepts us.”

    Zethrid said something in response but Lance was no longer listening. He crouched back down to his sister, “Give me your blaster.”

    “There’s not a clear shot.” Veronica whispered back. “We’ve got the rest of the MFE’s in the sky and me down here, and none of us can guarantee a shot without hurting Keith.”

    Frustrated and panicked, Lance glanced back at the scene before him. “Get your blaster up and get ready,” he said.

    Veronica gaped at him, “What—”

    But Lance was already on the move. He dropped down low, crawling along the rock until he was off to Zethrid’s side. If he were being honest, he didn’t have a plan—not even a single _idea_. But his body was thrumming with a need to free Keith and it was blinding him. Half of being a Paladin of Voltron was making it up on the go, he reasoned as he scaled up the rock. Plus, if he could save Keith he would do it, no matter the cost. He _needed_ Keith to be safe. As soon as he hit the top, he jumped, letting the emotions in him guide him.

    He could feel his burning need to protect Keith more fiercely than everything else. It rose up around him and swallowed him like a desperation he’d never be able to shake. He could feel it in every single cell in his body, lighting him up like a wildfire. He was burning hot as he threw his fist forward, connecting it with Zethrid’s jaw. There was a series of gasps as people realized he was there, but he couldn’t tell who made any of them. All Lance knew was that Keith was suddenly free, stumbling ahead of him. Zethrid stumbled back as she released Keith, a hand immediately finding her jaw. When she finally glanced at Lance, the anger and hatred was almost unbearable. For the first time Lance truly understood what people mean they said ‘if looks could kill’.

    Keith lost his balance and toppled to the ground and Lance lunged for him, throwing his body in between Keith and Zethrid, his back to Zethrid. His honed senses from years of training and practice told him that Zethrid was swinging for him and his body reacted purely on instinct. Lance didn’t even feel his bayard materialize in his hand until he was spinning around, Altean broadsword out and clashing with the blaster Zethrid had been trying to bash him with. He threw his weight into the blade, knocking Zethrid off balance.

    “Is that a _sword_?” Keith called out from behind Lance, pushing himself up to his feet. “When did you get a _sword_?”

    “Keith,” Lance ground out as he ignored the pulsing in his side, glossing over Keith’s question. “Get out of here. Go get Veronica and Acxa to safety.”

    Zethrid stumbled a step or two and then the blaster shot knocked her off balance. Lance glanced over in time to see Veronica, perched halfway over the rock, blaster in hand. She shot him a grin, almost as if to prove to him that she didn’t need Keith to keep her safe, she could do it herself. Pride swelled in Lance at the sight, but it did nothing to diminish the overall worry he had about the situation. Zethrid stumbled back regaining her balance enough to fire a shot back at Veronica. Lance lunged again, swinging his sword in a big, wide arc. Zethrid managed to deflect it with her blaster but was unprepared when Keith followed Lance’s attack with one of his own, his blade back in his hand.

    “Zethrid,” Keith said, pausing from attacking. “We don’t want to hurt you.”

    “You’ve already hurt me!” She roared.

    “Listen,” Lance wiped at his mouth, “I don’t know what your problem with us is, but we really, really do not want to fight you. Can you please make this easy for us?”

    “He took away the one I love.” She gestured at Keith with her blaster and Lance instinctively took a protective step towards him. In response, Keith took a step closer to Lance. “I see,” Zethrid said, noticing this, “You are the one I need to destroy if I am to hurt him the way he hurt me.”

    Lance didn’t even have a chance to register what she was saying before Keith was shouldering him out of the way. He could faintly hear Veronica yelling in the background but it was all muffled noise.

     “No!” He shouted as Keith was one again in Zethrid’s line of fire. “Keith!”

    Another shot, this time from one of the MFE ships above, bought Lance the time he needed to rush to Keith’s side. Zethrid, though, was more determined that Lance anticipated. She recovered from the shot and lunged for them immediately, seeming not to care which of them she attacked. She fought erratically, clearly overrun by emotions instead of logic. Lance could tell because that was how he felt. He swung his blade wildly and in a very unrefined way, but it felt cathartic. Especially having Keith by his side.

    Together they fought, both swinging their blades and working to distract Zethrid so the other could attack. Their time together as teammates and their strong bond made them work well in unison. They were able to anticipate each other’s next move and move fluidly around her like an intricate dance, keeping her on her toes. Lance was certain Veronica would shoot again if she could ever get a clear shot, but the two of them were moving so frantically that no shot would be safe.

    Frustrated, Zethrid cried out, swinging her blaster in one direction and her fist in another. The blaster connected with Keith, knocking him in the head and sending him flying. Lance barely managed to duck under her fist, slamming the hilt of his blade up into her as he rose again. She fought to push back against him but it was futile. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance could see Keith struggling to get up, but it was hard for him. Anger flashed in Lance, more red-hot than the lava below and he swung one final time. Zethrid raised her arms, crossing them in front of her and allowing her armor to absorb the blow but, while it did no damage, the impact was enough to send her tumbling over the edge of the cliff.

    Immediately, Lance could hear Keith scrambling behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keith dive towards the edge, reaching over to catch Zethrid before she fell. Lance dropped his bayard, jumping forward to catch her other arm and help Keith haul her back up. His lungs ached, his side throbbed and his entire body shook as he hung on to her wrist with everything he had inside of him. Veronica and Acxa rushed forward, ready to collect her the moment she was up. Together they pulled Zethrid up and over, until she was safely back on the ledge. Lance collapsed then, exhausted and spent, feeling every last drop of energy he had draining from his body. Veronica and Acxa restrained Zethrid, securing her hands behind her back, but it didn’t stop her from getting in one last shot. From her spot in front of them, she kicked Keith once, hard, pushing him over the edge.

    “Keith!” Lance yelled desperately, throwing himself over the edge a second time and snagging Keith’s hand just in time.  Keith hung below him, staring up at him with wide eyes. Lance could see the lava below, the scorching hot rocks along the side and the way Keith was completely suspended, Lance being his literal lifeline. “I gotcha, buddy.”

    Lance pulled with everything he had, slowly scooting his way further and further back onto the ground. Faintly in the background he could hear other feet hitting the ground and the rest of the MFE pilots fighting to contain Zethrid and get her onto one of the ships. Lance didn’t let the noise reach him, though. He couldn’t. All he could focus on was Keith and his task at hand. Keith stayed incredibly quiet as he gripped Lance’s arm. Lance could see the fear in his eyes.

    “Just a little bit more,” He grunted, hauling Keith that last distance until his upper body was back on the ground and he was able to use his other arm to drag himself the last distance up.

    Together they collapsed on the ground, pressed against each other. Lance reached for Keith frantically, hands brushing the hair out of his face. He inspected Keith, pulling him closer until Keith—battered, bruised, exhausted but _alive_ —was laying on his chest. Keith blinked up at him lazily, sluggishly, and it was clear for Lance to see what bad shape he was in.

    “You’re okay, buddy,” Lance murmured soothingly to him, hands flitting across his body. “You’re okay.”

    “You got a blade.” Keith murmured.

    “Is that all you can think about right now?” Lance jested, “I did just save your life, after all. Like, three times.”

    Keith blinked again, his eyes lingering closed. Lance scanned him for any signs of a wound but the only blood he could see was dried around Keith’s mouth. He sat up, pulling Keith into his lap, cradling him gently against his chest.

    When Keith finally did open his eyes again they were unfocused, but still directed at Lance. “We make a good team, huh?”

    Lance laughed weakly, pushing to his feet and hiking Keith up in his arms, trying his best not to jostle him. “I’m pretty sure that’s my line.”

    “You do remember it!” Keith accused, thrusting a finger weakly into Lance’s chest. “I knew it.”

    “Of course I remember it,” Lance admitted, finally. It was a secret that had been weighing on him for years. He hadn’t been ready to deal with the emotions that had arisen at the time of their bonding moment. But now, as _he_ cradled _Keith_ in his arms, he found it didn’t matter. The emotions had plagued him anyways, no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. Denying their bonding moment did nothing to stifle the feelings, so there wasn’t much of a point in denying it anymore. More than anything, right now, he was just grateful that Keith was alive. “And look, now we’re even.”

    Keith let out a shaky breath and Lance picked up his pace, tightening his grip around him. He hustled over to where Veronica and the others had finally managed to shove Zethrid into one of the ships. He took one look at the ship and realized that there was absolutely no way it would be able to fit Keith, let alone both of them, before turning and taking off. Luckily, he only got a few steps before Red landed in front of him, crushing the rocks under his paws. He crouched down low and opened up, allowing Lance to dive in with Keith still in his arms, pressed tightly to his chest. Lance didn’t even make it to the cockpit before Red took off, flying them back to Atlas so Keith could get the medical attention he needed.

* * *

    Veronica filled Shiro in on everything that had happened down on the planet while the doctors inspected Keith and Lance for their injuries. Lance had fought tooth and nail not to be checked out until he was sure that Keith was fine but Veronica had put her foot down. Eventually they had settled on getting two doctors in the room so they could be checked out simultaneously and Veronica had stood post outside to ensure that Lance didn’t try to go anywhere until the doctor had cleared him.

    “I don’t know what would’ve happened if we weren’t there,” Veronica said, finally, slumping against the wall.

    Knowing her brother was a Paladin of Voltron was one thing, but watching him actually fight and put his life on the line repeatedly was another. She’d been in a few fights in her time as an MFE pilot, but they had all been in her ship. Being on the ground with only a weapon in your hands was an entirely different experience and it was far more terrifying than she had ever expected it would be. Still, Lance had risen to the challenge, thinking quick on his feet and refusing to give up.

    It was funny to think back to the little boy Lance had been, constantly chasing Keith’s shadow and trying to keep up with him. And then to look at him today, beaten and bloody and still fighting. He had really grown into his own and, while Veronica was indescribably proud, she couldn’t help but wish growing into his own had entailed something other than the constant threat of death.

    “They would’ve made it out,” Shiro said with a soft smile. “They always do.”

    “It’s just—” She sucked in a deep breath, “How did you do it? I’ve never been more scared in my entire life. And you did it every day. _Lance_ does it every single day.”

    “Your brother is one of the bravest and most selfless people I’ve ever met.” Shiro settled a hand onto her shoulder, “And I know you know that. He would rather give his own life than let anyone else suffer. _That_ is how he does it every day. Because he knows he’s protecting other people.”

    Veronica’s heart swelled in her chest. “Yeah, but then who is protecting him?”

    “Do you really even have to ask that?” Shiro laughed lightly.

    “Keith,” Veronica said, smiling a little to herself.

    “Keith,” Shiro confirmed, before adding, “And the rest of the Paladins. And you and me and everyone on this crew. I know it’s a lot, Veronica, I really do. But remember that none of us are in this alone, okay? We’re all looking out for each other, believing in each other and defending each other. I know I can’t talk you out of worrying about Lance because I still worry about all of them every single day, but at least let that give you a little bit of peace, okay?”

    “Thank you, Shiro.” Veronica could feel her gratitude for him overwhelming her, rising up from the very bottom of her heart. Today had been the scariest day of her life, but she had survived it. They had all survived it. And that was what mattered the most.

* * *

    The doors to the med bay slid open and shut again without Lance even noticing. He had his head pillowed on his arms, resting on the bed next to Keith. His torso had been bandaged tightly, but the pressure was a relief and it left him feeling sleepy. It wasn’t until Shiro was fully in the room and standing over Lance that he blinked sluggishly, trying to get his eyes to focus. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, from the battle that had just transpired. But as long as Keith laid there unconscious, Lance couldn’t sleep.

    “Hey,” Shiro said quietly, crouching down in front of Lance’s chair. “Why’re you in here?”

    With a yawn, Lance sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m waiting for Keith to wake up.”

    “You should go get some sleep,” Shiro said, slipping into his role as Space Dad effortlessly. None of the team had told him that they referred to him that way, but they all suspected he knew. It was exactly fitting of his personality, they couldn’t resist. “Your body took a pretty brutal beating. I just finished talking to the doctor and he says you need a few days of straight rest to recover from this. And he wants to see you daily for that wound on your side.”

    “No sleep,” Lance murmured, adjusting in his chair and hoping a new position would help wake him up a little bit more. “I need to be here when he wakes up. I can’t miss it.”

    “Why not?” Shiro prompted, adjusting so he, too, was in a more comfortable position.

    Immediately Lance opened his mouth, an answer poised on his tongue, but nothing came out. He wasn’t exactly sure _why_ he had to be here when Keith woke up. They were safely on the Atlas, surrounded by doctors who could and would take perfect care of him. Lance had spoken to the doctor who had assessed Keith and been thoroughly reassured that he would be alright, his body just needed time. That meant that Keith would wake up and either go back to sleep here or move to his room to go back to sleep. There was absolutely nothing about it that involved Lance in any way and yet, the idea of someone else being the one to see Keith stir, to see him open his eyes, was utterly unbearable to Lance and he absolutely wouldn’t risk it.

             Lance could still feel the warmth of Keith pressed to his chest as he ran onto the Atlas, looking frantically for a doctor. The unfocused look in Keith’s eyes would no doubt haunt his nightmares if he didn’t get to see him wake up soon. There had been something special the first time they’d had a ‘bonding moment’, as Keith had called it, and there had been something special this time too. Lance could feel that same thought he’d been trying to ignore for years in the back of his mind, begging to be acknowledged finally but he wasn’t sure what, exactly, to call it.

    There was a knowing edge to the way Shiro tried to fight the smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Lance could see the hidden humor in the way he glanced away, trying his best to school his expression into something neutral. The weird feeling that had been sitting in his gut for a few days was unfurling again, winging out and encompassing him. He still didn’t have a name for that emotion either but in the very depths of his heart, in the darkest corners of his mind, something was starting to take shape and nag at him and he was afraid to let it see the light.

    “I just—” Lance tried, but he wasn’t sure how to finish it so he let the words trail off into nothingness.

    It was a moment before Shiro looked back at him but, when he did, his expression was fond, albeit somewhat amused. “You know,” he began, standing up and dragging a chair over so he could sit on it next to Lance. “When I first met Adam, he drove me insane.”

    Startled by the sudden topic change and interested by this new information, Lance straightened his spine slightly, directing his full attention to Shiro. “Really? Why?”

    “He was perfect at everything,” Shiro answered easily, “It didn’t matter what it was, there was nothing he couldn’t do.”

    The first thought to pop into Lance’s mind was that it sounded like _someone_ he knew— someone who lying unconscious in bed two feet away from him— but he bit that back. Still, Shiro seemed to be scrutinizing his expression and Lance suspected that he could tell what he was thinking, even if he didn’t say it aloud. Instead, he chose to go with, “And what changed? Obviously something did.”

    “I got to know him.” There was a sad sort of nostalgia in Shiro’s voice that sat heavy on Lance’s heart, making it feel like it was sinking lower into his chest. “And I realized that he was good at everything because he tried his hardest. He put all of himself into everything he did. It was dedication and passion that made him so good and it’s impossible to hate that.”

    Lance settled back into his chair, the emotions waking him up fully. He glanced at Keith briefly, trying to fight off the thoughts of how much things had changed since he'd gotten to know Keith, and then turned his attention back to Shiro. “You know, I never knew about Adam until we made it back to Earth. I mean, I knew who he was from the garrison but I didn’t know what he was to you.”

    “Yeah, that’s because I didn’t talk about it. We broke up, you know, right before I left for Kerberos. Actually, _because_ I left for Kerberos.” A weight settled in Lance’s chest alongside his heavy heart at the words. “It was probably for the best though.”

    “How can you say that? You’re clearly hurt by losing him.”

    Finally, Shiro met his gaze directly. “Yes but this way _I_ am the one hurting.”

    Lance’s eyebrows rose slowly in surprise. “Why does anyone have to hurt? I mean, he's—” Lance bit off the end of his sentence, instead pressing on, certain that Shiro understood what he was about to say.  “But if he weren't, you could've been happily reunited.”

    “Lance,” Shiro tilted his head a little to the side, his expression getting somber. “You do know that I was dying before, right? That’s a huge part of why I went on the Kerberos mission. It was the last one I was ever going to be able to do. I didn’t have much longer left to live.”

    Suddenly the world felt like it’s shattering around Lance, crumbling to shards beneath his feet again. He nearly had to look down to make sure he wasn’t about to fall into a second pit, the way he had on that planet. He grabbed onto the armrest of his chair instinctively, fingers digging into the chintzy fabric as he tried to get a breath in. “What? You’re sick?”

    “Not anymore.” The calm way with which Shiro was talking didn’t help soothe Lance’s sudden and overwhelming panic. “Not since my body died. Remember, I’m in a clone’s body now. My real body was the one that was sick so, I guess in a way, dying and being transferred to a clone was good for me. It literally gave me my life back. In more ways than one.”

    It dawned on Lance, not for the first time, that the rest of his team had histories that he knew nothing about. It made him feel a little hollow inside, a little remorseful. He wanted to know everything about his team because they were his best friends— his family. He wanted to know them as thoroughly as he knew himself.

    Still, it was an interesting perspective to take. By dying, Shiro was actually given a second chance at life. It made Lance think of blessings that were disguised as curses— made him wonder what other things in his life weren’t exactly as they appeared. His mother used to say that there was a silver lining to every cloud and he had believed her unwaveringly until he’d found himself in the middle of an intergalactic war. So many things had happened to them during the war that he was certain had no positive spin— no way that it could be seen as good. And yet here Shiro was, taking perhaps one of the biggest negative events and giving it a silver lining. Lance couldn’t help the slight smile that came to his face at the realization.

    “What were you sick with?” Lance asked after a long pause, hoping it was an alright question to ask.

   Lance remembered Shiro when he was at the garrison. He’d never interacted with him much, but he remembered looking up to him. Shiro was a sort of legend— revered as kind and brave, always on top of his game. That had turned out to be more true than Lance could have ever imagined as he got to know Shiro more personally. Adam, on the other hand, flew relatively well under the radar. Lance knew who he was but his knowledge of Adam didn’t go much further than that. He had seen Adam around a bunch of times but never really interacted with him and certainly didn't think of him as the know-it-all, good at everything sort of person that Shiro described him as.

    Shiro turned away, his eyes drifting to the floor. It appeared to be a painful memory, and Lance could imagine why. He opened his mouth to assure Shiro that he absolutely did not need to answer if he didn’t want to, but Shiro looked up at him with a determined expression on his face, answering simply with “Cancer.”

    The word was like a weight on Lance, adding to all the other invisible things he carried around with him all day long. He wondered how Shiro had been able to lug it around, never showing weakness to the world. In all the time Lance had known Shiro, whether personally or from afar, he’d only shown a chink in his armor one time— when he found out that Adam had died. Nothing else, not a single other thing, had ever brought Shiro down. At least, not that was ever shown to the outside world. However, as time went on and the war progressed, he had looked more and more tired and Lance was finally getting a glimpse at what exactly it was that he had kept locked in his heart all those years. It was beyond understandable that the weight of all these secrets and tragedies was finally starting to wear him down. Honestly, Lance was impressed with how long he had maintained his composure.

    “And Adam… knew?” He asked carefully.

    “It's why we broke up.” Shiro reclined slightly in his chair, letting his shoulders sag. “It was inoperable. It had spread to my whole body. But Adam— he still wanted to spend what was left of my life together. And when I chose Kerberos, knowing full well that it would shorten my lifespan at best and kill me at worst, well, he was hurt. He thought I was choosing the mission over him. And in a way, I was.”

    Lance could feel a lump forming in his throat as Shiro talked. He knew what it felt like to have someone he cared about constantly put themselves in danger. It was the exact reason he was sitting in the med bay, sleep deprived and completely in tune to even the most miniscule of sounds from Keith.

    “Not because I didn't love him, though.” Shiro continued. His eyes were glazed over in a way that made it clear to Lance that he was drifting off to bittersweet memories. Lance just hoped they were more sweet than bitter. “I did it specifically _because_ I loved him. He deserved a better life than dedicating himself to someone who wouldn't live much longer. He deserved to find someone who could really share a life with him. I knew that wasn't me— that could _never_ be me. So I left, hoping it would allow him to move on and get the life he deserved.”

    If Lance could, he would pluck the sadness right out of Shiro's heart and bear it himself. Shiro had done nothing but love and support him and Adam and the entire team. If there was anyone that deserved a truly happy ending, it was Shiro. “You know, that reminds me of something Krolia said. I wasn't there but Keith told me about it. Something about leaving to protect the person she loved the most.”

    The smile that found Shiro's lips was sad but full of understanding. He sucked in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, looking as if he were collapsing in on himself. “That's exactly it.”

    “Do you—” Lance paused, taking a deep breath of his own. “Do you regret it?”

    Shiro considered this for a long moment. “Now, knowing the outcomes? A little. But ultimately I'd do it again. I regret not telling him how much I loved him before I left. I regret not kissing him one more time. But he was strong and incredibly brave. I know that if I had to lose him, this is the way he would've wanted it to be— doing what he loved and protecting the world. And I guess that's the thing about giant wars, not everyone can make it out alive.”

    “I’m—“ Lance started to say but Shiro held up a hand to stop him.

    “I didn’t bring any of this up to talk about my illness,” He said after Lance snapped his mouth shut. “I brought Adam up because I wanted to talk to you about Keith.”

    The significance of Shiro bringing up his fiancé in order to talk to Lance about Keith was not lost on Lance. That feeling in his gut doubled, hitting him like a wave and nearly knocking him over. He placed a hand against his stomach taking a deep breath in and trying not to give in to it. Feigning innocence, he glanced up at Shiro, “Oh?”

    “I've known Keith for years, he's my little brother. I practically raised him after his dad died.” Shiro's gaze was focused on Keith as he spoke, his expression softening. “I've seen him go through a lot and the person he's closest to is you. There's no competition.”

    “Me? I mean, I'm his right hand man, but you definitely come before me. He'd never go to the same lengths for me.” Surprise laced Lance's words as he spoke. Shiro thought he was Keith's most important person? That was a ridiculous thought. And yet, Lance's heart jumped at the idea.

    “He absolutely would.” Shiro pressed on. “He'd go even farther for you, I'm sure of it.”

    Lance wasn't sure how to respond to that. His hand was still pressed to his gut while he turned his own gaze to Keith. Keith looked peaceful in bed— or he would, if he didn't have the scar on his face and soot from the volcano mixing with the dried blood still around his mouth. The covers were pulled up to his neck, making everything look okay, but Lance knew the cuts that littered his body. He could still feel the way Keith went limp in his arms, head rolling against his shoulder. The fear had subsided, but it hadn't left completely. It was still a dull thrum in the back of Lance's mind, refusing to disappear until he saw that Keith was okay. Hearing that he _would be okay_ from the doctor was one thing, but actually _seeing_ him be okay was a completely separate thing that Lance needed for his own sanity.

    “Can I… tell you something?” He asked after a moment, eyes trained on Keith still. There was a desire swirling in his fingertips, begging him to thread his fingers through Keith's hair. To push it off his forehead so he could see those eyes better. He’d done it at the volcano to make sure Keith wasn’t injured and suddenly he wished he’d relished it more, that he’d taken the time to really feel how soft his hair was. He liked Keith's hair— he'd never admit it, but Keith pulled a mullet off well— but he regretted the way it often made his eyes hard to see.

    There was never any doubt in Lance's mind that Shiro would be willing to listen to him, but it was still a relief to hear Shiro say “Of course, anything.”

    “I was… really afraid I was going to lose him today, Shiro. I don't— I don't know what I'd do.” His tone was quiet but the words seemed so loud in the otherwise empty room. He felt like they were reverberating around him, bouncing off the walls. He could still remember that feeling as he first peered over the rock next to Veronica and saw Keith being held hostage. It was another image he was sure would haunt his dreams. ”I don't want to lose any of you, of course.” He rushed on, “but losing Keith would be—”

   “Would be what?” Shiro prompted when Lance hesitated.

    Lance exhaled, letting himself deflate. “Unbearable.”

    That knowing look was back in Shiro's eyes but it didn't look amused anymore. If anything, it was sad. “Lance—”

    He could hear Shiro in a distant sort of way but it didn't really register. There was more he wanted to say— more he _needed_ to say and he knew Shiro was the person to say it to. Shiro would understand, he would know what to do. He wouldn't make Lance feel crazy or awkward or judge him in any way. The chaos was back in his heart and it was starting to seep into every aspect of his life. He needed to sort it out, to get closure or understanding or something.

    “I told Allura that I wasn't pursuing her anymore.”

    “Yeah,” Shiro said, “I heard.”

    “I don't know when things changed. I don't know when I stopped thinking about her like that. I don't know when I—”

    There was a pause where Shiro waited for Lance to finish that sentence. When he didn't, Shiro gently finished his sentence for him, watching Lance's face carefully for a reaction. “Fell in love with someone else?”

    Lance blanched, "Love? You think I love— that's crazy! As if I could ever love someone as stubborn and self-sacrificing as he is. That's just setting myself up for heartbreak."

    "I think those things are exactly why you love him." Shiro's grin was wide and Lance couldn't even look at him. "Oh, and Lance?"

    "Yes?" Lance was almost completely certain he didn't want to hear what Shiro was going to say next.

    "When I said I think you're in love, I never said _who_ I think you're in love with. You filled that part in by yourself."  Lance could feel the heat flood his cheeks as Shiro spoke.

    “I don't know what you're talking about!” Lance started, talking so fast his words were practically blurring together. “I absolutely don't— he isn't— how could you think—”

    In response, Shiro laughed. It was quiet but warm as he leaned forward, propping his elbow onto his knee. “Lance, it's okay. I've seen the way you two are together. It's pretty obvious.”

    That feeling in Lance's gut finally took a shape he could recognize, even if he didn't like it. It had a name now and that terrified him more than anything else. “That's not—” he cleared his throat, scrambling for some semblance of composure. He could still feel the flaming in his cheeks and wished, desperately, that it'd go away. “If that were true— I'm not saying it is but _if_ it were, it wouldn't even matter. He's in love with someone else.”

    “Really now?” Shiro raised his eyebrows, clearly not buying it at all.

    “What?” Lance could hear how defensive his own tone was and he hated it. He knew it was proving Shiro’s point. “You don’t believe it? He told me so himself!”

    “Oh, I believe he’s in love,” Shiro said quietly, biting at the corner of his lip. “I just don’t believe the ‘someone else’ part.” There wasn’t anything Lance could say in response to that and he suddenly wished that the hole _had_ opened up beneath him again and swallowed him whole. It had to be less embarrassing than this. Shiro, seeming to sense his anxiety, laughed quietly. “Go to bed, would you? We can talk about this some other time when you’re a little less banged up.”

    “I told you—” Lance started.

    Shiro waved his hand, “Go take that bed right there.” He pointed to the other empty bed in the med bay, right next to Keith. “Nobody will care. But you can’t force yourself to stay awake. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”

    With a defeated sigh, Lance stood up and began to trudge over towards the other bed. He was planning on staying awake, still, but laying down certainly had to feel good to his side. Plus his body felt so incredibly heavy after everything it had been through.

    As he passed Shiro, he paused. “You’re not going to tell him… are you?”

    “Of course not,” Shiro reassured, standing up and heading for the door. “That’s your job.”

    Lance didn’t get to say anything back to that before Shiro disappeared out the door. With a sigh, he plopped down in the other bed, pulling the covers up to his chin and turning his head so he could look at Keith. This was the sacrifice of war, he knew, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.


End file.
